No, You're Not Alone
by AppleCiderr
Summary: Tony Stark goes missing after Civil War, a while later, the Winchesters kill a witch that had a captive. A captive named Tony, whose puzzling memories are all violent and scary. He doesn't want to go back, so he stays, and becomes a Winchester. Time passes, the Avengers realize their mistake. But does Tony want to go back, after he's finally found a true family?
1. Chapter 1

When Tony Stark disappeared, no one really noticed. Sure, he was a very important public figure, with plenty of popularity. But as of late, he'd been too busy running the Avengers and trying to nullify the accords to do anything really extravagant. So when he went missing, nobody noticed, nobody really cared. Except Rhodey.

He tried to get someone to pay attention, to realize that Tony missing was not normal. He tried to get ahold of Steve and his team, but they didn't listen. They told him that Tony was probably off somewhere, drinking and having sex, ignoring what was important. Rhodey was enraged. They hadn't seen Tony since he came back from Siberia, he was nothing like the old,loud Tony. He went on walks, he worked day and night non-stop, he was so depressed. Rhodey really tried to tell them, he really did, but it was all in vain.

Tony was gone, missing, vanished. Nobody cared, Stark Industries was still running, the Accords were still in place. Rhodey promised his friend he would keep searching. But his resources were low, there was only so much he could do. At this point, all he had left was patience and hope. But even that was dwindling, he didn't know how much longer he could try. He may just have to give up, the others may be right. Maybe Tony would come back when he was ready. But something wasn't right, he just couldn't figure it out.

What could have taken Tony away?

Why wouldn't anyone listen to him?

Something was wrong, he just knew it. But the world continued to move anyways. Nobody cared enough to sacrifice even a little for the one who sacrificed everything for them.

Several states away, an Impala drove down an empty road. The two occupants inside the car were silent, except for the driver, who was grumbling and switching the songs every few seconds. The taller man in the passenger seat sighed, and asking,"Do you really have to switch the song _while_ you're driving, Dean?"

Dean seemed so scoff, shaking his head. "Oh Sammy, Sammy, Sammy," He chastised,"I can't catch a witch unless I'm in a good mood, so I need good music" He switched it onto an AC/DC song, nodding his head to the rhythm.

"You won't be able to catch the witch if you crash the car," Sam grumbled his reply, crossing his arms and looking out the window. They were investigating the rumors that had been floating around about a witch in the area, and reports of people that went missing started appearing in the news around the same time. So, the Winchester brothers decided that they simply had to check it out.

They drove around until they got near the location, parking their car in the brush nearby. They grabbed their weapons and walked into the forest surrounding the street.

Dean looked around for a moment, noticing a light nearby. He elbowed Sam, pointing to it. The light seemed to be fluctuating, it had to be the witch. They looked at each other, before a nod passed between them.

They slowly moved closer, pushing through the green foliage, finding themselves face to face with the old shack. If it weren't for the light coming from it, they would have thought it abandoned. It had rotting planks, plants growing from every direction, and the door hung halfway off it's hinges.

There was no noise coming from the inside, so they got closer. Sam leaned forward, checking in the door. He saw.. Nothing, nothing at all. "Dean, it's empty.." He whispered.

"What?" Dean growled out, no longer being careful. He walked in the shack, crossing his arms. "Then where was the fucking light coming from?" He asked.

As if to answer his question, the floor beneath him groaned, and suddenly gave in. Sam cried out in shock, running forward only to skid to a stop. The area beneath the floor looked like a black abyss, but he heard the sound of wood smashing below. "D-Dean!?" He yelled loudly,"Are you okay?!"

Dean groaned, rubbing his head as the scrapes on his body throbbed. Looking up at Sam's face, which he could barely see. "Yeah! I'm okay Sam!" He yelled back.

"What were you thinking, dumbass!" Sam yelled in return,"Stop being reckless! Get back up here before the witch comes back!"

"Okay! Okay!" He snapped back. Grumbling, he pushed the plank on top of him of, it rolled across the dark room loudly, hitting a wooden beam nearby. When it hit the beam, Dean heard the clink of something metal hitting the concrete floor, and shuddering gasps.

Dean froze, and looked around the best he could. "Hello..?" He asked softly,"Is someone there?" He saw a silhouette, and crawled a little closer to it. The person gasped in shock , skittering away with the clinking of chains following him.

Dean held up his hands, saying,"Hey, it's okay, I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. I was here to look for the witch, do you know where they are? Have they trapped you? I can-" 

"Y-You need to be q-quiet.." The person whispered, their voice was young, but clearly a boy's voice. "S-She'll hear you.."

Dean frowned, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a flashlight. He turned it on, facing the boy with it. The young man cringed, putting his arm over his face, not used to bright light anymore.

The older Winchester examined the young man. He looked like he was teenager, with messy, curly, shoulder length chocolate brown hair and chocolate eyes. He was short, scrawny, and wearing ragged clothing that was too big for him, and full of holes. There were cuffs around his wrists and ankles, very tight metal with that looked like spells embedded in them. The chains were connected to the floor with magic, and Dean could see magic markings on the boy's body as well.

"What the hell.." He whispered,"This is fucked.. Don't worry kid, we're going to get you out of here.." 

He went to grab the chains, ignoring the boy's panicked refusals. The second he grabbed them, the burned bright orange, making Dean hiss and yank his hand back. The kid didn't react much to the burning other than a wince, it seemed it affected him too.

Dean huffed. He wasn't leaving the kid down here to be murdered by some witch bitch. He pulled out his gun, and said,"Quick, kid, stick out your leg"

The kid looked horrified. "Please, trust me," Dean said,"I'm just going to try and shoot the chain" The younger boy still seemed nervous, his body quivering with fear. The boy slowly complied, lowering his head and clutching it with his head in his hand. He held out his foot, trembling intensely.

Dean worked quick, shooting the chain and moving back. It didn't bounce back, and he saw the chain give way. He shot it once more, and the chain nearly gave way. He quickly shot the other one twice, and then put the gun back on the floor. "Can you pull your feet and break the chains?" He asked.

The boy tried, but it seemed his skinny limbs were too weak to do much of anything at this point. Dean huffed, and then brought his foot up, stomping hard on the metal and making it give way. It snapped allowing the kid to pull his bleeding legs closer to his chest. He stared down at his feet, then up at Dean in awe. He opened his mouth, about the thank the man, when he saw something.

Behind the man who saved him was a silhouette, one that was very familiar to him. "Ah! L-look b- be-behind- _WATCH OUT!_ " He cried out loudly.

Dean turned, but a little too late. He was thrown forward, crashing into the boy behind him. He stood up, grabbing for his gun when he realized that he had dropped it before this, it wasn't on him. "Shit!" He yelled, trying to run to the other side of the room.

Before he could do anything, the witch's blast hit him, slamming him into the ground and making his head dizzy. "Fuck!" He yelled again, trying to force himself up, holding the knife out blinding in front of him. He really hated witches.

The witch moved up, smirking and powering her hands with magic, whispering a mantra. For a split second, Dean thought he was going to die. But then, the teen was behind the witch. He was so silent, Dean barely saw him as he managed to go behind the crouching witch, grabbing the metal chains connecting his handcuffs and making them glow orange.

He threw his hands over the woman's neck, pushing the burning cuffs against her neck and wrapping his legs around her waist, hanging on tight.

The witch let out a violent shriek at the burning, bringing her hands up and grabbing at the cuffs. The struggles, throwing her body back and forth before backing up, slamming her back against the wall and hitting the kid. This violent attempt happened several times, the witch slamming against walls as the metal burned through her throat, sending blood gushing everywhere.

The witch then threw herself forward, sending the kid flying above her and slamming on the ground, crying out in pain. The angered woman screamed again, her hand burning with magic as she slammed it down on the kid's chest, making the young man shriek in incredible pain, grabbing at her wrist and struggling desperately.

Dean got up quickly, running forward with his iron knife. He slammed it into the witch's throat, causing her to scream violently. He slashed to the side, breaking through with the cut that the kid already made. The witch's head screamed one more time before it fell, spewing blood on the ground.

Her head then glowed a blue color, going down the length of it before falling down the length of her body, and against the kid, where her hand still was. Then, the body turned a stark white, before crumbling into a pile of dust.

The second the hand was no longer on his chest, the kid skittered backwards. They didn't say anything for a moment, before the brunette whispered,"Is she dead..?"

"Yeah.." Dean panted out,"Yeah I think so.." They stared at the dust a few moments longer, the teenager slowly working his way around it before hugging Dean's side, trembling fearfully.

Dean stared at the kid with a soft look, wrapping an arm around his back. The teen tensed up for a moment in fear, before relaxing. He let out a deep sigh of relief, before whispering,"Thank you.. T-thank you for saving me.."

"Hey it's no sweat kid, it's part of my job, but how are we going to get out of this room?" Dean asked the soft brown eyes, eyes that seemed to have seen too much in this lifetime, and wise beyond his years.

The child looked around, before pointing at the wall nearby. "There, there's a s-staircase," He whispered softly.

Dean nodded, sliding his hand to the small of the kids back and then lifting him up into his arms. He looked around, finding the stairs hidden behind a well placed panel, just out of the kid's reach.

They climbed up into the dark forest, behind Sam. "BOO!" Dean yelled, making Sam jump in surprise, nearly falling into the shack. He stumbled, falling back on his ass.

He spun around to face his older brother, snapping,"Dean, Don't. Do. That!" The kid in Dean's arms, who had been giggling, now went silent and tensed up. Sam seemed to finally notice the kid, and tilted his head curiously. "Who is this?"

"The witch's kidnapee," Dean announced, before awkwardly looking at him. "I.. Actually didn't get his name, what _is_ your name, kid?"

The kid looked at both of them before whispering,"My name is Tony" He gave no last name, but Dean and Sam didn't really mind that, the kid had probably been through a lot.

"Well, nice to meet you Tony, my name is Sam Winchester, and you've already met my brother Dean," Sam said,"We're hunters, we kill creatures and demons who are threats to others. We're lucky to have found you, how long have you been down there?"

Tony's eyes looked around as they carried him through the trees, and stuttered,"I-I don't k-know, w-what's the date?"

Dean told him the date, and the teen's eyes instantly darkened. "It's.. It's been seven months," He quietly admitted, sadness in his tone.

"Fuck, kid," Dean whispered in shock,"That long? I know witches sometimes use human organs and humans for sacrifices, what the hell were they using you for?"

"Experiments," Tony told them,"They were testing new spells, they wanted to see how far they could go on human bodies and certain spells. That's why I look like this, I used to be older. But one of the There were others with me.. But.. But they didn't make it"

Dean could see the guilt in the kids eyes, and quickly said,"Kid, don't be upset that you survived and they didn't, don't wish that you died instead of them, be proud that you managed to make it through. Keep going, live on in their memory. Don't waste this chance."

Tony looked whimsical, as he softly declared,"Someone told me that before.. Both of you are right.." His smile seemed more sad than happy, so neither brother tried to ask who it was.

Sam and Dean nodded, and then brought the kid to the back of the Impala. "We'll try and take off those cuffs when we get to the hotel, okay?" Sam promised, to which Tony nodded. Dean hummed, patting the dashboard of his Impala as he turned it on.

"Ooh, listen to my baby purr," He said happily, before reaching forward and rifling through his cassette tapes. He looked into the back seat, where the brunette was twiddling his thumbs. His dark eyes flitted up to the front seats, jumping when he saw Dean was staring at him. Dean tried to smile in the most reassuring way he could. "Yo, Tony, any song requests?" He asked curiously.

Tony rubbed his head awkwardly, before softly whispering,"B-Black Sabbath? AC/DC? M-Metallica?" Dean smiled, looking at Sam with satisfaction, he nodded.

"I like this kid, can we keep him?" Dean asked teasingly, pushing in a Metallica cassette in and pressing play. "Enter Sandman" filled the car as they drove down the street. Tony smiled, feeling himself calming down even if it was just a little bit. He slid to the side of the car, leaning his head against the window and staring out at the sky he hadn't seen in so long.

His mind was jumbled, he could remember so much, yet it was all horrible. All he saw was violent flashes of fighting, battles, destruction. He was afraid of it, afraid of these memories that went through his head. He knew the witch had messed with his head, but what if those memories were real? What if there were people waiting for Tony Stark to return, only to kill him? He didn't know, he didn't want to know.

Because he was too afraid to learn the truth.

They got to the motel nearby, and brought the tools in the room, sneaking Tony in after. They were good at sneaking around and coming up with explanations for why Tony was bleeding and why his wrist and ankles had cuffs chains around them.

Tony sat on the bed, while Sam looked over the cuffs. He didn't try and touch them, the burns on Dean and the kid's hands was enough to steer him clear of attempting it. They wrapped the burns and cuts, removing the kid's shirt to find a very painful looking handprint from the witch's final attempt at killing him. They wrapped it, but they knew it would definitely scar, even though it seemed like there was a scar already below it.

They had been in the room for three hours when, finally, Sam sighed and said,"I can't figure it out. I don't know how we're supposed to get these off, there's so many markings on his body and the cuffs.." He slumped back, leaning back in his chair.

Tony crossed his feet, lifting his leg and staring at the cuff. "S-She.. The witch, she put on more than one spell. Maybe.. Maybe we have to find the individual spells she used and unravel it slowly, like a tangled pile of cords?" He suggested.

Sam and Dean looked at each other again, before Sam smiled and asked,"I like this kid, can we keep him?" Dean chuckled, while Tony gave a lopsided smile, stuttering out,"I ch-charge by the hour."

Dean then snorted, and declared,"Yep, we're keeping him"

Sam chuckled, before a thought came over him regarding that. "We.. Kind of have to if we want to get those off. It's going to take a long time to get those off, if ever. We'd need him to come with us or at least stay in the bunker until we can get them off, unless we want his skin to grow over those cuffs, or the injuries under it to get infected, or the witch left a curse on it," He explained,"And we can't get it off without getting through all those symbols and spells, just like he said."

Dean nodded thoughtfully, and Sam turned back to the brunette. "Hey, Tony?" He asked,"We want to get those cuffs off you, but if that's going to happen, you have to stay with us. Is there anyone who you think may be looking for you? Do you want to go see them before we start this process?"

Tony stared at his knees through the ragged pants, as he shook his messy head. "No, nobody's looking for me," He softly admitted,"Anyone who is, they're probably trying to hurt me.. That's all I remember anymore, people trying to hurt or kill me, not just the witch.."

The kid looked over at them, eyes filled with sadness. "I don't have anywhere to go.. But, if I can, I want to stay with you guys, I want to help fight people like the witch, I want to protect people from the witch" He said softly, his voice was shaky, but it was obvious he was desperately hoping they would say yes. "P-please, let me stay with you"

In that moment, Dean and Sam saw themselves in the kid. When they were younger, lost and confused. Not knowing what they wanted to do, nothing to fall back on, no one to go to. In that moment, Tony was no longer a stranger, he became one of them. He became a little brother.

"If that's what you want to do, then of course you can stay with us," Dean said softly,"You're one of us now kid" He reached forward, ruffling the kid's messy hair.

Tony's eyes widened in surprise, before a huge, relieved smile came over his face. "Thank you," He whispered, shoulders slumping in happiness. He flopped back on the bed, feeling so relieved, he couldn't even describe it.

Sam went and sat on the bed next to Dean. "Tomorrow, we'll start heading back to the Bunker together, okay? I say we'll go around 10:00am" He decided. Dean flopped down too, and let out an affirmative noise.

"Wanna color code that itinerary before we head out, Sammy?" He teased, making the younger man scoff and push Dean playfully.

"Jerk," Sam grumbled, and Dean smirked and crossed his arms, as he said,"Bitch" Tony watched the affectionate exchange quietly, a smile on his face. It was starting to hurt, smiling so much. He hadn't done it in so long.

Soon enough, the two older men had fallen asleep. Tony watched them for a while, just letting that happy feeling in his chest surround him. In a head full of bad memories, it felt so good to have been rescued, to have been brought away from there, and to be given a family, even if it was a broken one.

Tony sighed and leaned against the pillow, curling up with his eyes closed. Soon, he followed the Winchesters into their slumber, feeling the safest and happiest he had for as long as he could remember.

For the first time in a long time, all three of the tortured souls felt at peace.


	2. Chapter 2

The drive to Kansas from New York would take about a day, they realized. And they hadn't been able to feed their new friend yet, so that was top priority.

After about two hours on the road, they came across a nice town. "Okay, Tones, so we're thinking that we will go get some food and then try and find a thrift store, because I don't see one right now." Sam explained.

"W-what about these..?" Tony asked, holding up his hands and showing the chains. The cuffs still clung to his skin, three rings dangling off both cuffs.

Dean hummed thoughtfully before looking down and unbuttoning his flannel, then handing it over. "Here, this should hide them for now. We'll figure out something else later, we really need to get some meat on your bones." He said.

Tony looked extremely thankful, before pulling the flannel on and smirked,"Why? Planning to stick me an oven? The last witch couldn't"

"Maybe you were just too picky," Dean snarked back. Tony couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him. He liked Dean. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he remembered certain people that didn't realize his smartass comments were jokes, and treated him rudely because of it. But he didn't want to think about something like that right now.

He followed the two taller people out of the car, and instantly became nervous. There was just.. So many people, and it had been awhile since he'd been around more than one. He nervously grabbed Dean's tank top, moving closer to him as his trembling began once more with a fury.

Dean wrapped a comforting arm around the younger man, keeping him close as they got into the diner. They were led to a booth and sat down. Dean sat with the younger, while Sam sat across.

Tony swung his legs a bit, before looking around. "I knew someone who used to come to these all the time, he loved the old timey feel of places like this," He softly declared.

Then, he slumped down. "But.. He made his opinion about me pretty clear.." Tony whispered, hand going to his chest.

Sam and Dean exchanged a look, wondering if the scar below the witch's hand was caused by this person. They couldn't know for sure, and it seemed like a sensitive topic to try and breach, so they said nothing, though the protective aura around them grew larger.

The waitress soon showed up, and asked for their orders. Dean ordered a burger and some fries, while Sam said,"Me and Tony will take the chicken salad"

The waitress left, and Dean curled up his lip. "You're making the kid eat rabbit food?" He asked, before wrapping an arm around the brunette. "I don't think he gave his consent"

"I don't mind," Tony softly said,"Some protein from the chicken and insoluble fiber from the vegetables to keep my digestive tract healthy, so I don't mind eating it"

"Oh no," Dean whispered in horror,"You're a nerd"

Sam rolled his eyes, sipping his water. Meanwhile Tony raised an eyebrow, and then placed a hand on his chest, declaring,"I prefer the term intellectual badass"

Sam choked on his water, while Dean smirked and ruffled the kid's hair. "Okay, you win this round. Just keep your rabbit food away from me," He teased.

Their food arrived, and the waitress asked,"Anything else?" Dean and Sam shook their heads, digging in. Tony didn't say anything, but the waitress seemed to be staring at him. "What about you, young man? Is there _anything_ you need, anything at all?"

Tony didn't like the attention on him, and shook his head. "N-no thank you.." He stuttered out, watching the waitress frown and walk off. She seemed to be staring at his face a lot. Tony frowned even more, realizing that she was staring at his bruises. She thought Sam and Dean were doing something to him.

He decided to ignore it for now, and ate his food with a fervor. He couldn't help it, he was starving. Once he finished, he looked around again. The waitress was looking at them, and whispering to someone who looked like a manager. There were people in the restaurant staring at them, and looking at the Winchesters with obvious suspicion. This did not bode well.

Tony felt his heart speeding up as his nerves sparked. He didn't want anything to happen, he didn't want them to get hurt because of him. Looking at them, his mind raced with an idea, and he quickly put it into action.

"H-hey, can we hurry?" He asked loudly, making the two look up in confusion. "I-If we don't leave s-soon then the convention will end, I'll have to wipe all this makeup off and take off the c-costume"

Dean looked confused for a moment, before noticing the waitress near the phone. "Oh.." He said softly," _Oh_ , you're right. We'd better get going, huh squirt?" He ruffled Tony's hair playfully, and then send Sam a look.

Thankfully they had all finished their food before this, and could drop the money and leave quickly.

Once they got in the car, Dean sighed. "Dude, what is their problem?" He asked no one in particular,"Could they not even mind their own damn business? They don't know what happened!"

"Dean, it's perfectly understandable that they did that," Sam reasoned,"For all they knew, we could have been abusing Tony. They don't know about the witch"

Tony shuddered at the mere thought of the witch, and Sam noticed. He softly smiled, before saying,"But let's not dwell on it, Tony's quick thinking saved us from any more trouble. Good thinking, by the way"

"Ah, it's nothing," Tony said quietly, pulling his knees up to his chest and going quiet. He had just been.. So scared. He didn't know where he would go without Sam and Dean. He was Tony Stark, yes, but he sure wasn't the same age anymore, he was a minor. People may not believe him, what would he have done then?

Dean noticed the kid's panic. "Hey, Tony," He said softly,"It's okay kid, nobody is going to take us away from you, you're safe now. We'll never let anything happen to you"

Tony smiled. He'd had people say that to him before, and they'd always been lying. But this time it felt different, Sam and Dean.. They were different, and he loved it.

"Yeah," He whispered happily,"I know"

It was a full day before they got to Kansas. On the way, they stopped at a local store and got Tony an actual outfit. It wasn't much, but Tony was thankful. He now had a nice red hoodie, with a black tank top under it, which all fit him well, and a pair of blue jeans that hugged his hips.

They got to the bunker early the next morning, parking in the dark garage. Dean was thoroughly exhausted, and softly said,"I'm going to go crash for the night, you two can do whatever nerds do when their parents aren't around"

"Shut up, Dean, go watch your hentai," Sam teased back. Tony's eyes widened, a blush coming over his face at the idea. Dean scoffed, sticking out his tongue before walking up the stairs.

Tony looked at Sam nervously. The older smiled. "Go ahead and explore, or get some sleep if you want. I'm going to make sure the other hunters know the witch is dead. Just be careful not to touch anything that looks dangerous," He said.

Tony had a loose definition of what he considered dangerous, but he nodded anyways. He followed the older past all the cars. Some were old, others were broken down. His fingers itched with the need to fix them, but he wasn't sure if that was okay, so he didn't try anything. He would have to ask later.

Sam went through a doorway into a large room, sitting on the couch and getting on his laptop. Probably to do what he talked about in the car. Tony watched him for a moment, before curiosity got the better of him. He decided to explore.

The bunker was large, but Tony started to map it out in his head easily. He looked through all the rooms, finding bedrooms, a kitchen, among other things. _Their tech needs a real upgrade.._ He decided, his hands desired to feel the metal between his palms. To tinker just to tinker. It had been so long since he'd been able to do something for _himself_ instead of others. He was desperate to build, to rebuild, to tinker, _anything_

But something was calling him. He felt him drawing him closer, and he couldn't ignore it. It was coming from a nearby room.

Crossing through the bunker, his chains clinking against the floor. He entered the chocolate brown eyes looked around with curiosity. The room was filled with weapons and books of all kinds, as well as glass bottles of what looked like supernatural creatures' parts.

One of the books, he felt a desire to read it. One he hadn't even seen before, a desire he hadn't felt until he stepped foot into the bunker. He stared at it, unsure of what to do. But then, he couldn't help himself.

Tony slowly brought his hand up, reaching out for the book on the top. Nothing was stopping him, his hand went to curl around the cover-

"Who are you?"

Tony whipped around, finding himself face to face with an unfamiliar set of glowing blue eyes. Panic build up in his system again, he was afraid, he was too close, too close, too close-

A terrified shriek broke Dean from his sleep and Sam's concentration. They stood up, recognizing the scream as Tony's voice. They both jumped up, running to where they heard the scream.

Skidding into the room, they saw Castiel standing in the middle of the room, looking confused. Tony had shoved himself as far against the wall as he could, seeing to try and melt into the wall. "He- He.. H- J-Just came o-out of n-nowhere!" The young man exclaimed shakily, holding his bandaged hands to his chest, his eyes growing wet with tears.

Cas didn't seem to realize what he did, and looked up at Dean. "Who is he?" He asked, disregarding the fact he nearly gave to kid a heart attack. Dean felt a huge wave of overprotectiveness and rage overcome him.

"Cas, what the fuck?" He demanded,"You scare the shit out of the kid and don't even apologize?"

The angel looked at Tony again, awkwardly replying,"I.. Was just trying to see what he was doing in here, I did not think he would react in such a way.."

"Well, obviously, he did," Dean said,"We rescued Tony from a witch, not even a day ago, and the first thing you do when we get back is scare him?!" Cas looked at Dean, pouting a bit, and looking like a puppy. He seemed genuinely upset for hurting Tony and Dean's feelings, but Dean didn't look like he was letting up anytime soon.

Tony frowned a bit, slowly pushing off the wall. One he got closer, he took Dean's sleeve in his damaged hand, and stuttered,"D-Dean, it's a-alright, as long as feathers doesn't do it again, I'm f-fine"

Cas was surprised that the shaky teen protected him, and so he decided that he needed to repay him somehow. He dug into his trench coat, pulling out a jar of honey. He held it out to the brunette, and said,"I'm sorry for scaring you, honey is nice though, you'll feel better" Tony tilted his head, before taking it from Cas.

"Um.. Thank you.." He awkwardly responded, watching as Cas walked out of the room. He looked down at the jar of honey in his hand, a kind yet confusing gesture. "I.. Don't understand what just happened.." Tony admitted quietly.

Dean chuckled, while Sam nodded. "Get used to that feeling whenever Cas is around," The younger declared,"He's a weird angel, but he's _our_ weird angel" Sam then left the room, going to make sure Cas didn't touch anything he wasn't supposed to.

"A-angel?" Tony asked in confusion, turning to look at Dean. The older sighed, rubbing his hair in exhaustion, before he answered.

"It's a really really long story, like if we made it into a TV show, it would take seasons before you even understood anything," Dean explained the best he could,"But, that's a story for tomorrow, I'm exhausted, and I'm sure after that, you probably want to sleep too. So I'll take you to one of the other rooms, and we'll get you all set up."

Dean turned to leave the room, and Tony's heart accelerated at what Dean said. In a room.. Alone? No, he didn't want that. At least in the hotel, Sam and Dean were in the room with him. But he couldn't handle that. "W-wait!" He exclaimed, running and grabbing Dean's jacket again,

The older turned to look down at the shuddering kid, noticing his nerves. But Tony wasn't staring at him, he was staring at the floor. "Yeah?" He asked worriedly,"What is it, Tones?"

"I.. I don't wanna be alone.." The younger whispered fearfully, his knuckles turning white with his grip, as his teary chocolate eyes looked at Dean's green ones. "I'm.. I'm afraid that.. That the wi- w- That they'll come back.."

Dean understood, he got it perfectly. It reminded him of younger Sam, and it was possibly even more heart wrenching. "Don't be afraid, Tony, I'll protect you from any asshole monster that tries to get you," He promised,"You can stay with me tonight."

Tony's eyes filled up with relief, and then happiness. "Thank you.." He whispered,"Thank you so much.."

It was a little awkward at first, but they settled in really quickly. Tony had placed the honey on the nightstand, wrapped with Dean's flannel (that he probably wasn't going to get back), and was staring at Dean's strong back.

Tony's nerves were still acting up, he couldn't relax. Slowly, carefully, he scooted forward. Once he got close enough, he hid his face against Dean's back, his skinny body soaking in the warmth and strong attitude that Dean gave off. It made him relax more than he had in nearly a year.

Slowly, he began to fall asleep. As he did, Dean slowly turned around, hugging the shivering teen to his chest to help him relax even more. For the first time in months, Tony actually felt the foreign feeling of being safe. It was enough to finally lure him into a deep sleep.

Watching the younger sleep, Dean couldn't help but feel bad for him. He'd been through so much, and seemed to have a bad past. The poor kid didn't deserve everything that happened to him.

Holding the teen close, running his fingers through that messy brown hair, he closed his own eyes. "I promise," Dean whispered firmly,"I'll never let anything bad happen to you ever again"

And thus, with that declaration, Dean followed Tony into a deep, relaxing sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

When Dean woke up, his arms were empty. He panicked for a split moment, his hand going to touch the bed when he sighed in relief. The bed next to him was still warm, Tony probably had woken up just a little while before him. He could hear some small chatter outside his room.

Uncaring that he was still in his pajamas, he got out of bed sluggishly. He left his room and wandered towards the kitchen area of the bunker, a nice inviting smell begging him to come closer.

As he turned the corner, he saw Sam behind the counter cooking what looked like pancakes, Tony was sitting on a stool, his legs hanging because of his small stature as he swung them back and forth, and Castiel was standing near the edge of the counter, listening to the idle chatter and adding his opinion every now and then.

It would have seemed pretty mundane if it weren't for the fact that one of them was a man who hunted supernatural creatures for a living, another was a literal fucking angel, and the last one was teenager that wasn't even related to any of them who had been a witch's lab rat for seven months.

His cover was broken as Tony noticed him. The brunette perked up, swinging his legs quicker. "Dean!" He exclaimed,"Come have breakfast, Sam made a lot!"

"That's because we're all inner fat kids," Dean responded reasonably, plopping down and sitting on the stool next to Tony.

Cas looked at Tony, and declared,"It is a figure of speech. We are not really all inner fat kids, I would know since I am an angel, it's simply to joke about eating a lot. Do not worry Tony, you aren't overweight, in fact you are much too skinny."

Tony stared at Cas with confusion for a moment, before allowing a smile to overcome his face. Castiel reminded Tony of Thor when he was still understanding 'Midgard's' customs.

Pushing that thought from his head, he tilted his head and asked,"So.. You're really an angel? Like an angel of God?"

Castiel nodded, while Dean snorted and nodded. "Oh hell yeah he is, the bastard pulled us straight out of Hell," He stated bluntly.

"Hell?!" Tony guffawed.

Sam sighed, placing plates in front of everyone. "It's one of many very, very long stories that we have," He explained,"I'm sure Dean will be wanting to try and impress you sometime and will tell all of them"

Dean licked his lips at the pancakes, before freezing. "Sammy!" He whined,"Why are there blueberries in my pancakes? You know I hate rabbit food!"

"Tony likes blueberries," Sam declared,"So I decided that everyone should get some"

Dean scoffed, and asked,"Well what about Cas? Maybe he didn't want any blue-" He turned, and saw that the angel currently stuffing his face with the pancakes, not having a care in the world. "Oh, um.. Goddammit, fine"

Dean stabbed the pancake to attempt to get back at it for existing, before dumping it with syrup, and then eating with a few more whines. He discreetly looked over at Tony, who was gobbling food happily. Sam kept sneaking food on his plate, wanting to make sure the kid gained back weight he definitely needed. Dean was glad it looked like the kid was eating all of it, he needed to get healthy again.

Cas watched Tony for a moment, seeming to try and figure out something to talk to the brunette about. He knew that the Winchesters had basically adopted the teenager, and he honestly didn't mean to scare him as bad as he did. Maybe they could become friends?

"Tony, did you know that It would take about 1 ounce of honey to fuel a honeybee's flight around the world?" He told the teen, who looked at him with confusion.

Looking at Sam and Dean, then back at Cas, Tony awkwardly said,"Um.. No I didn't know that.. That's pretty cool though, I'm guessing you really like bees?"

Cas nodded vehemently, and then tilted his head, asking,"What about you, Tony? What do you like?"

Tony looked surprised for a moment, looking at everyone, and realizing they all were waiting to hear what Tony liked. "Um.. Well, I like science, and building stuff," He admitted shyly,"Learning new things and all that jazz, creating stuff, and working on cars. It's all lots of fun.."

Sam smiled, and mentioned,"I saw you looking at the cars in the garage when we got here, maybe you and Dean could work on restoring some of those sometime, and you and I could read some of the supernatural books I have. Whenever we're not on hunts, of course."

The room suddenly got more serious. Dean got Tony's attention, and said,"Hey kid, I know you want to stay with us. But you don't have to become a hunter if you don't want to. If you do, especially with us, there's no going back. It's a dangerous job, filled with dangerous people. Are you sure that you don't want to go out into the world and be something better? You can leave if you want to"

Tony gave a lopsided smirk, and then shook his head. "I'm staying," He firmly declared,"I know it's dangerous. Believe me, I've been through a lot worse, including the witch. I don't have anywhere to go anyways, and you guys are the reason I'm even alive in the first place. I want to fight people like the witch, I want to help make sure that other people are safe. If it mean there's no going back, so be it, I was never a normal person anyways. I want to stay with you guys, I want to be a hunter, I want to be a Winchester"

Sam and Dean exchanged a look. They heard his tone of voice, they knew he held stubbornness much like their own, there was no changing his mind. If they were real honest with themselves, they didn't want to see the kid leave either. His words made them feel excitement and happiness, glad that their new little brother was going to be staying.

"Well them," Dean said happily,"I'd like to officially welcome you to our dysfunctional family, Tony Winchester"

The smile on Tony's face was brighter than the sun in that moment. For the first time in his life, Tony actually felt like he had a real family.

* * *

Three Days Later

* * *

"Where the hell is the microwave?!"

Sam looked up from the book of spells he had, watching Dean storm into room with a frozen hot pocket on a plate. Sam dog-eared the page, and then asked,"What the hell do you mean 'where is the microwave?' It's connected to the wall, how did you lose track of a _whole_ microwave?!"

"Well it's not there anymore!" Dean exclaimed loudly,"If it was there, I'd already be eating my fucking hot pocket!"

Just as Sam opened his mouth to give a very well worded retort, their microwave suddenly rolled through the room. Yes, _rolled._

"Wait!" A familiar teenage voice yelled, chasing after the robot until he saw the two older males and cried out in shock, skidding to a stop.

Tony looked up and saw Sam and Dean, completely frozen. He held up his hands, standing up, and stuttering,"I-I can e-explain!"

Dean's plate had slipped out of his hand, flopping on the floor. The robot microwave, which was much better looking than their old banged up one, suddenly beeped excitedly, rolling over and picking up the plate with his arm. It then opened itself up, placed the hot pocket inside, and the correct cooking time appeared on the microwave as it began to cook the food.

"Holy shit.." Sam said aloud, finally finding his voice. The microwave squeaked in what sounded like fear, before rolling to hide in vain behind Tony's skinny legs.

"I-I'm sorry!" Tony exclaimed,"I-It's just b-been so long since I have been able to build anything, and I k-kinda c-couldn't help myself.."

The microwave beeped, and the door popped open. It pulled out the plate and held it out to Dean, beeping expectantly. Dean slowly picked up the plate, and then whispered,"Holy shit.. This is so cool!"

"Y-you're not mad?" Tony nervously asked, clutching to his shirt and shaking.

"Mad?" Dean exclaimed,"I'm not mad! This is fucking awesome! It's so cool! It's like a star wars robot!"

Tony perked up, while Dean knelt down and patted the robot on the head. The robot let out a happy beep, rolling around Dean in circle.

"You really like it?" Tony asked shyly,"W-well, I can upgrade all your guys' technology so it's not so stone age, so it works better. That way you don't have to worry about it messing up anymore-"

Sam quickly stood up, and softly declared,"While that would be nice, do you really want to do that or do you just want to do that to please us?"

That seemed to stop Tony right in his tracks, as he slowly looked down, nodding in shame. "I.. I.. I want you guys to like me.. People only like me when I'm useful, I can be useful for you t-too.."

Dean frowned, and went over to the kid. He put a hand on Tony's shoulder and firmly said,"Jesus kid, what kind of people were you hanging out with before we found you? We don't need you to do anything for us that you don't want to, you don't have to do anything for us. You're family now, and you've been through so much. If anything is going to happen, we'll be taking care of you"

Sam nodded, standing up and ruffling the kid's hair. "Dean is right, for once," Sam remarked,"If you really do want to fix everything in here, you can, but only as long as we get to help you. We're not going to let you do all this work alone, okay?"

Tony felt so happy to just hear that. They didn't want him just to use him, they genuinely enjoyed his company. They didn't want him just to use him. It was such a strange concept for him, but just to hear that it was possible made him feel loved.

"Thank you.." He said happily, gaining more hair ruffles from the two older ones. Dean then turned down and looked at the robot microwave again. "So, what's the name of our new little robot friend?" He asked curiously.

Tony's smirk came back as he pointed at the microwave proudly and declared,"His name is Watt-son!"

"That is a horribly beautiful pun," Dean whispered, pretending to wipe a tear from his eyes. "You are making me so proud, Tones"

Tony giggled, and then bowed proudly. "Thank you, thank you, I'll be here all week," He teased happily.

Sam sighed good naturedly, and said,"Dear God, why am I surrounded by a bunch of cheesy, pun loving 80s fanatics?"

The long haired man then turned back to the two others. "Hey, Tony, I think I may have found a few of those insignias on your cuffs in the spell books we have. Want to take a look and see if we can get started?" He asked.

Tony then scampered over, and said,"Hell yeah, I'm ready to have these things off" Dean smiled proudly, he wondered how Tony was able to handle those metal manacles. He followed after them, as Sam grabbed his book. They walked into the middle of the room, hoping to stay away from anything expensive.

Sam then held up Tony's hand, and began to chant the spell. The magic swirled around Tony's wrist, slowly sucking itself into the cuff. But then, it sparked out violently, attacking them. The cuffs turned orange again, Tony cried out in pain, and yelled," _Ahh!_ Stop it! Stop it!"

The older man panicked, canceling the spell. Meanwhile Tony whimpered, grabbing at his arm as blood escaped from under the cuff. "Oh god, I'm sorry!" Sam exclaimed in a panic,"I thought I got it right! Shit!"

"No, no, it's okay!" Tony quickly replied,"They're magic spells, it's not always going to work. I'm sure we've all seen Harry Potter, we know things don't always work out"

"Yeah, but I hurt you," Sam said sadly,"And we can't even fix it. Cas' healing can't get through them and I made you bleed again."

Dean patted Sam's shoulder and said,"Sam, it's fine. He already told you it's okay. The only thing we can do now is try again."

Tony nodded in agreement. "I would rather go through a little pain to get them off instead

of having them on me forever," He comforted,"I know we'll get it eventually!"

Sam took a few deep breaths, before nodding gently. "Okay, yeah," He said softly,"You guys are right, we'll figure it out eventually.."

* * *

After cleaning the blood off of himself, Tony found himself sitting in front of the spellbook Sam had tried to use, some paper, and a pencil. He had seen the spell himself, he had been so sure that it was correct. But it wasn't.. What had they missed?

He looked at the cuffs with slight frustration, slumping on the floor. But then his eyes saw the difference. It was a small flick on the strange symbols, but it meant one simple thing. They had used the wrong spell.

Tony sat up quickly, grabbing the pencil and drawing the symbol out as gently as he could. He then slid the spell book to be in the exact same spot, and looked at them both. Yes, he could see the differences now. He needed to write down them so they could find the spells and get rid of them.

Once he was done, inducing the marks on his skin, he had five papers covered front and back. He took them and brought them to Sam, explaining why he did it and the differences in the spells.

Sam was very thankful, but then got frustrated as he dug through the books they had. "I don't have any of the spells on your cuffs in these books!" He exclaimed.

"Maybe ask others about it?" Tony nervously suggested,"Maybe some other Hunter has the book or at least knows where it is?"

Sam smiled, and snapped his finger. "I was just about to suggest that!" He exclaimed,"Hopefully not a witch, I'm sure all of us are done with witches"

"If I never see another witch it'll be too soon," Tony grumbled.

Sam chuckled, and replied,"If only, little bro, if only. Maybe one day the Avengers will come back and we'll be able to worry about more important shit."

Tony froze, standing completely still with wide, fearful eyes for a moment before quickly letting out a nervous laugh. "A-ah, y-yeah!" He stuttered, shaking a bit before asking,"Do y-you.. Um.. Where is D-Dean?"

"I think he's working on one of the cars," Sam said, opening up his computer. "You can join him, if you want. I'm sure he'd like some help. I'll keep looking around."

Tony nodded, getting out of there as fast as he could. Even the mere thought of the Avengers brought back even worse memories. He didn't want to think of them, the witch made sure to mess with his memories over, and over. Until it was all he could think about, all the bad things.

He shook it off, and then ran down to the garage, where he found Dean elbows deep in what looked like an old, rusted up car. But the adult turned teen recognized it instantly. Tony jumped excitedly before running over. "A 1968 Ford F250!? Where the hell did you find this!? These are so cool!" He exclaimed.

"Hell yeah! I wanna bring this thing back to it's former glory!" Dean responded excitedly, before looking up at Tony. "You know cars?"

Tony nodded, his chocolate eyes lighting up with the want, the _need_ , to build and create. Dean smiled and then asked,"Wanna help?"

Tony nodded once more, walking up to the edge of the car. "Does this thing even start yet?" He asked curiously, hating his short stature the more he had it.

"No.. I think something is wrong with starter, but I could be wrong.." He explained, rubbing the stubble on his chin. "I just can't get it to actually turn on.."

Tony stared for a moment, before going over to the tool box and grabbing two screwdrivers. He walked over to the car once more, leaning into the hood. He put one screwdriver on the lead to the battery and the other the wire to the solenoid switch. Then, he pressed them down. The car rumbled to life, making Dean blink in surprise as it purred. But almost instantly, it began smoking again.

"The starter is overworking itself, so you might wanna clean it up a bit. But other than that, everything is alright!" He said proudly.

Dean looked at the car, making sure it was shut off before beginning to unscrew things. "You know a hell of a lot about cars," He said,"Who taught you your knowledge?"

"Well, I learned about cars myself," Tony explained,"But Howard was the one who pushed me to be like him. Biologically, he is my father, but he sure as fuck never acted like one"

Dean looked at the sad face the boy had, and didn't say anything. He was afraid whatever he may say would be rude or too much for the kid to hear. But, Tony continued. "He.. Wanted me to be like a person in his life, and like him. He spent his whole life paying attention to him instead of his only son, I hated it.." He said, dropping the screwdriver sadly. "All I ever wanted was his approval.."

"Hey, I get it kid," Dean softly replied, walking over and patting the kid's back. "After my mom got murdered, my dad went kinda crazy. He became a hunter and trained me and Sammy to be ones too. Sam and I.. Didn't really want to be hunters at first, in fact sometimes I still wish I could have gone back and changed it. But, I get it now. Losing someone you love can make you do things without thinking.."

Tony frowned, thinking of the things he did after seeing the video of his parents.. His mom. Yes, what Dean said true. He knew from experience. Looking up at Dean from his shaggy hair. "Still," He exaggerated,"That didn't give him the right to hurt you like he did, that should have never happened to you or Sam."

Dean sighed and softly declared,"I know, but it's not like there's anything either of us can do about our pasts now.."

Tony nodded, relaxing his body against Dean's stronger one, and going quiet. He then let a small, lopsided smirk crawl up his face. "Yeah, I guess after it fucked all three of us in the ass without buying dinner first, we can only stick together," He joked slightly.

"Of course, little bro number two," Dean said, ruffling his hair. "And as your honorary big brother, I declare that we need to have a talk about your language. You are much too young for those kind of words!"

"I am _not!"_ Tony declared, ducking away from Dean's hand. "I'm at least.. Well.. Possibly-older-than-but-around-the-age-of-sixteen," The teen exclaimed this quickly.

"Hey, no backtalk young man, don't make me go get Sam," He chastised,"He's the mommy in this relationship."

"Then what's Cas?" Tony asked curiously, tilting his head and crossing his arms. Dean then copied his mannerisms, and frowned as he saw Tony's face.

Tony then smiled, a snarky, evil little smile crawling up his face. "Is he.. Your wife?" He asked.

Dean's eyes widened, and he felt his face heating up. "Whoa! Tones! What kind of a- Me and Cas!? You can't be serious-"

"Yes I can!" Tony exclaimed,"I see the way he looks at you! And how you look at him!"

Leaning forward, the genius stood on his tippy toes and declared,"You're in _LoOoOoOoOve_ with Castiel~!"

The brunette squeaked, ducking Dean's attempt at tackling him. "SAM! SAVE ME!" Tony cried out, darting up the stairs and trying to escape from the older man's wrath.

Dean easily caught up with the smaller teen, and wrapped his arms around his waist, lifting him up off the ground. Tony cried out in surprise, struggling against Dean playfully.

"Dean, what are you doing?" Sam asked, walking in the room with a stack of spell books in his hand. "Why do you look like you're about to body slam Tony?"

Tony lifted his head and declared,"He's just mad because I know how much he is in _loOoOoOoOve_ with Castiel!"

Tony squirmed from Dean's arms and ducked away from the grabbing hands. He skittered behind Sam, peeking around him and smirking.

"Well.. With the way you guys stare at each other all the time, I wouldn't be surprised," Sam said calmly, shrugging.

"You're taking that little shit's side!?" Dean exclaimed, his blush climbing up his cheeks even more.

Tony let out a gasp, and then exclaimed,"How could you call me that, Dean!? I'm the great and lovable Tony Winchester!"

"Just because you're in denial, Dean, doesn't mean you get to murder Tony for speaking the truth," Sam teased back, enjoying the sight of a blushing Dean gawking like a fish.

Tony giggled again, before looking at Sam. "Did anyone know where the spells are?" He asked,"Did anyone say anything?"

"Actually, people got back to me pretty quick," Sam said happily,"I know where we can search. A few places, actually. It may be a bit dangerous, but it would also be a good place to start teaching you how to be a hunter. What do you say?"

Tony nodded, excitement filling his thoughts as he thought of finally getting those stupid damn cuffs off, and finally be able to feel completely free again. "Yeah!" He said eagerly,"Let's do it!"

* * *

As the three humans piled supplies into the car, a small figure watched them. The figure was a calico cat. Their fur was splotches of black, white, and tabby orange. It had a huge black splotch on the left side of its face, though most of it's face was a mix of the rest of the colors. It's left ear had a black tuft of fur on the top while it's right had an orange tuft. The cat's fur was of a medium length, and looked very soft to the eye. It's own blue eyes watched the humans silently.

"Watt-son!" The smallest human called into the door, followed by a strange noise. "You're in charge of the house while we're gone~!"

"There's no way I'm letting the fucking microwave be in charge of the bunker, not after he microwaved my slippers last night," The green eyed human quickly argued.

The long haired human then scoffed, and said,"That's what you get for leaving your door open, Dean."

"Oh! I'm _sorry!_ " Dean sarcastically replied,"You're right, you never know when a _robotic microwave_ may come rolling down the hallway in the middle of the night, my mistake, your majesty!"

Tony smirked in amusement as the two bickering, putting some extra weapons in the trunk when his eyes caught the cat. He stared at it for a moment before walking over. He reached out a hand, and asked,"Can I pet you?"

The cat stared at him, and tilted her head. She slowly crawled closer across the railing, allowing Tony's scarred hand to run through her soft fur. He pet her gently, rubbing her behind her ears. The cat closed her eyes, leaning into the hand. Tony smiled softly, and said,"Aww, you're a very cute kitty."

The cat froze, snapping her blue eyes open. "Cute?" She asked," _Cute!?_ I beg your pardon, human, but I am _not_ cute."

Tony gasped, yanking his hand back. The cat stared at him in confusion, and Tony slowly asked,"Y-y-you can talk..?"

The cat blinked in surprise too, tilting her head, and then asking,"You can understand me?"

Tony awkwardly nodded, and the cat made a curious noise. "How very peculiar…" She whispered, black nose twitching. "The only humans who have been able to understand me have always been-"

"Tony!" Sam called,"We have to go, the sooner we get there, the safer it most likely will be"

Tony turned towards the cat, feeling a little awkward as he said,"I- I, I'm.. I gotta go."

He quickly scampered over to the Impala, hopping in the backseat and shutting the door. Looking out, he saw the strange cat staring at him through the window. He watched the cat on the railing get smaller as they drove farther away from the bunker. Tony idly wondered what that whole conversation was supposed to mean, before he pushed it to the back of his mind.

None of that mattered, what mattered now was getting these stupid chains off.

* * *

Several Hours Later

* * *

When they pulled up to where these supposed books were, Tony was unimpressed.

"An old abandoned mansion, really?" Tony whined, leaning in the front seat with a pout. "That is so cliche. What's next? Hotel Transylvania?"

Sam snorted slightly, before he got out of the passenger seat and grabbed some weapons. "Now, I don't know what we could find here, so everyone be prepared," He explained.

Tony nodded quickly, growing curious by the minute, and hopeful. Maybe they would find a way to get these stupid chains off!

Once all the weapons were together, they all carefully wandered towards the door, Tony protectively between Sam and Dean. Everything around them was old, overgrown, and as they got closer, but something was off.

Sam and Dean led Tony inside, and they saw just how run down the place was. Things were covered with vines and grass, and the second floor above them looked ready to fall in any moment.

Tony looked over at the stairs, and shook his head. "No way we can go upstairs, those look like they're more fragile that Dean's ego," He teased. Dean scoffed playfully, punching Tony in the arm.

"Tony's right, but I see some more stairs going downstairs, maybe there's a basement?" He guessed, causing Tony to shudder, but he pushed it back and nodded quickly.

They wandered down to the stairs, and found themselves on a sticky and muddy floor. It was still wet too. "Ew.." Dean grumbled, stomping through it, and looking around.

Tony frowned, refusing to enter any farther than the stairs out of fear, and looking around, when he noticed the books. "Sam, I see them, they're over there!" He called, pointing to the table near a pile of the sludge.

Sam smiled, turning on his flashlight, and picking up some of the books. However, with a light suddenly filling their vision, Dean saw something floating in the water.. Something that looked vaguely human. "Sammy?" He slowly whispered,"I don't think we're standing in mud.."

Dean slowly reached forward, reaching for what he thought was a bloody skull. At the same time, Sam turned to look at the disembodied hand. Suddenly, blood began to congeal and form a body.

A loud, horrifying screech exploded through the mansion, shaking the building, and the hand lurched forward wrapping around Sam's neck and slamming him into his brother, it wrapped around Dean and smashed them both into the wall. This caused them to cry out in pain, blood escaping from Sam's mouth.

The blood fell down his chin, dripping into the creature's body. It let out a pleasured noise, seeming to enjoy the taste of his blood. Suddenly, the arm started to squeeze around the brothers' necks, their faces turning purple. They were trying to kill them!

"Sam! Dean!" Tony yelled, fear filling him as he saw the skull rise up as a body began to grow. Suddenly, Tony felt no fear. His family was in danger.

Tony ran down the stairs, feeling some type of power growing inside him as he slammed himself into the bloody creature. Instantly, it's sensitive growing body exploded open, sending a gush of blood onto the smaller teen.

It let out another inhuman screech, and Tony cried out, grabbing at his ears. But he then turned, using his knife that Dean gave him to hack at the arm. Another loud screech, as the blood gushed down and the hand swiped at Tony.

The brunette stumbled back, bumping into the other creature who tried to grab him. Tony cried out, before moving in front of his coughing brothers. "Don't you dare hurt them!" He yelled, hearing pieces of wood drop into the blood around them.

Tony felt an inhuman amount of protectiveness and rage, more than he had ever felt. It was building up, and for once, he felt no fear, he felt a desire. _I will protect them! I won't let you hurt them!_

The creatures screeched again, before their bodies lurched forward. Tony jumped forward, his hands colliding with the bloody creatures as a bright light exploded, rocking the building even more.

The sound of shattering metal echoed in the room.

Suddenly, the huge building began to crash and tumble from the top to the bottom, wood and stone falling down. Tony still only had one thought, as he went over to Sam and Dean. He just wanted to protect them, he had to!

Dean's awareness came back to him all of a sudden, as light suddenly streamed into his face. He jerked up, feeling wet and sticky. "What.. What happened?!" He stuttered out, Sam waking up at the same time as him.

The two looked around, before realizing the debris that now stood around them. But for some reason, none of it had hit them. And if they had to guess, they would believe it was because of the golden dome around them, and the wide eyed Tony, whose hands and eyes were glowing with the same color.

Tony seemed to be staring down at his hands with wide eyes, before he looked back at them. In that moment, Dean realized that the cuffs were gone, revealing the dripping, bloody scars under them. But Tony didn't seem to care, as his tear filled eyes looked up at them.

"You're okay!" He exclaimed thankfully, as Sam noticed him sway. The younger quickly stood up, despite the dizzy spell that hit him.

"Yes we are, we're okay Tony," Sam stuttered out, still not understanding what was going on, but wanting to calm Tony down.

Dean moved closer, and slowly declared,"Yeah Tony, we're okay, you saved us." He wasn't afraid of Tony, all he was worried about was making sure his little brother stayed safe.

Tony's eyes widened, and the shield started to dim. "I did?" He slurred out,"Thank god.. I can't live w'thout you guys.. M'gna sleep now.."

The shield fell as Tony did, thankfully Dean was there to catch his bloody form. He quickly shifted the unconscious teen, and then lifted him. Though he was a little unsteady on his feet, that didn't stop him from making sure Tony was secure.

However, even though the shield was gone, the strange magic and symbols were still floating around Tony. What they were doing, neither man could know, but it scared him.

Turning around he looked at Sam. "We need to go back to the bunker," He said,"I don't know what's going on, but I don't want him to be hurt, and I know someone that might."

* * *

A few hours later, a still unconscious Tony lay asleep in Dean's bed, while the man in question looked down on his phone. He would really prefer to avoid him, but Cas was not around right now, and he was the only other person that Dean could think of.

Looking over at the teen on the bed, breathing and wheezing weakly, the magic symbols around him still swirling, Dean stood up and walked from the room, and then pressed call.

The sudden ringing startled the King of Hell out of his boredom, causing the man to pull up his phone to check who it was. Instead of a random number, he saw it was one of his favorite caller ID's in all the worlds.

' _Not Moose'_

"Oh, my favorite boys!" He said happily, a smirk crawling across his face. "The Winchesters.. It's been awhile since they've called me. I wonder what they've been up to."

Watching it ring for a little longer, he smiled even wider, and stood up. "Well, only one way to find out~" He sang, excited to see just what they'd gotten themselves into now. The king of Hell then teleported from his domain, landing in front of the bunker, and answered the call.

"Hello, boys."


	4. Chapter 4

When Tony first woke up, he didn't really know where he was. His awakening was calm, until he remembered what had happened before he passed out. In an instant, he jerked awake, sitting up straight in the bad, Dean's bed, eyes wide with fear.

But his fear passed, and he recognized where he was. After taking a few deep breaths, looking around the familiar room, he realized exactly where he was. His shoulders then slumped down, relief filling his system, as his hand went up to rub his eyes. He then felt a sudden weight next to him, as a gentle meow reached his ears.

Tony opened his eyes, looking down at his side. The cat was there.. The cat from when they went to find those books. "Oh.." He said softly,"Hello again.. How did you get in here?"

His hand went to the cat's ears, scratching behind them, as the cat leaned into his hand. He pet her for a little while, helping him relax. But then, his sluggish mind caught up with him, and then he realized something.

The cuffs were gone.

Tony gasped, and pulled his hands back. Looking at his hands, he could see his mangled wrists, the dried blood, and scar tissue that was left behind. It was a thick, pink scar tissue that was six inches down, and circled both of his wrists. He would have to guess it was from the mixture of rubbing them raw and burning them while trying to escape.

He threw the blanket back, revealing his feet. The same scars were there, though they still looked to be healing. This made the young man happy, extremely so. But then, a frown graced his clean face, brown eyes filling with confusion once more.

That power he had used to save Sam and Dean.. Where in the world had that come from? It just didn't make sense. Tony was human, he always had been, that was a fact. But.. After what the witch had done to him, changing him back into a teenager, and all the other things he had seen them do, who's to say they weren't capable anything else?

His head was starting to pound, causing him to groan, both his hands going up to rub at his head, trying to alleviate his pain. He probably would have been scratching and rubbing until his hair fell out, however, sometime pointed caught him off guard. Tony froze, realizing where it was. It was his ear?

Tony slid his fingers up and down his ear, it was different. His ears, they rose up to a point. What in the world? He thought, sliding from the bed onto his feet. He winced slightly at putting pressure on his freed limbs. After standing for a few seconds, breathing hard for a few moments. Then, he shuffled his way to the bathroom.

The second he flicked the light on, he was greeted to the sight of his pale, short, shaggy haired self. But there was a difference since the last time he had seen himself. Now, after moving his hair, he could see his pointed ears.

He frowned, turning slightly to the side, and poking at an ear. His eyebrows furrowed, as he had feeling in even the top point of the ear. When he frowned, ne noticed something white pointing out from his mouth. He leaned closer, opening his mouth. All his canines, top and bottom, were now very prominent. Sticking a finger in his mouth, he poked at them curiously.

So.. They were real, the ears and teeth, that answered one question. But the really important question, that he seemed to have no answer for, was why were they there in the first place?! Did it have to do with the shield he made, or the cuffs coming off?! It didn't make sense! What is going on!?

His frustration only seemed to make something worse, as something else flicked into his vision. It flicked up and down, and made Tony freeze up once more. Suddenly, he was very aware of the feeling of something new.

His hand reached back, grabbing at the new intrusion. However, his tight grip caused him to cry out. This thing.. He felt it. Tony quickly loosened his grip, and took a huge breath. He felt apprehension growing in his mind, as he turned to his side, lifting his shirt with one hand as the other hand pulled the thing in front of the mirror.

Trailing down into his pants, and now in front of his face, he realized exactly what this thing was. It was a tail.

He had a tail.. A fucking tail

With wide eyes, staring at the new body part, Tony felt all the shock, fear, and confusion finally rise up to him. His heart felt like it was going to burst, unable to understand what was going on. With his rising fear, the lights in the room suddenly began to brighten. As Tony hyperventilated, the light brightened even more. Faster and brighter, faster and brighter-

 _POP! POP! POP!_

The lights suddenly all exploded, glass flying everywhere, as the room was suddenly pitched into complete darkness.

Tony finally felt the dam break, unable to hold in the emotions anymore.

In the sudden darkness, he let out a horrified scream.

* * *

"Hello boys."

After that greeting, he was let into the bunker. Both Sam and Dean looked nervous, which made him curious. If the Winchesters were nervous, there had to be a good reason. They all stood there, in the entrance, for a long while. Eventually, Crowley got annoyed, and clapped his hands together.

"So?" He asked,"What is this important thing you dragged me all the way up from hell for?" He crossed his arms, tapping his foot against the ground. Sniffing slightly, he then realized something. "Why do I feel magic in here? What have you two done now?"

Dean scoffed, and asked,"Why does everyone always think we did something wrong? No, we just need your help. We.. Kind of adopted a kid as our brother. He went on a hunt with us, and something happened. He saved us, but he used magic we didn't know we had, and then he passed out with weird things swirling around his body. We are worried something happened."

Crowley raised his eyebrows. "Really, Dean?" He asked,"First off, you dragged me over here for this? Secondly, you took a kid on a hunt?! Do I need to call cps?"

"He asked to go! He's not a little kid, he's a teen, but he is a lot smarter than you think!" Dean exclaimed, growing very protective all of a sudden.

The prince of hell rolled his eyes. "Alright, alright, no need to get your knickers in a twist," He sneered,"But still, you called me over because of some magic that scared you? Seriously, he's not a thousand year old witch, so what are you so worried about? He's just a teenager, what damage could he cause?"

As if the world wanted to prove him wrong, all of the lights suddenly began to grow bright, and brighter. All three of the men looked around, confused, and crying out in surprise as all the lights suddenly exploded.

Then, Dean heard a scream. "Tony!" He yelled, dashing down the halls, not even waiting for his brother. Sam managed to grab a torch before he went, and Crowley watched for a moment, before following after.

As they entered the room, moving towards the bathroom, Crowley was shocked. It really was just a young teenager. He was hiding his face in his knees, his hands knotted in his hair, and a cat meowing at his side frantically.

"Tony!" Dean cried out, relieved. The kid jerked, lifting his head, and turning to face him. His eyes illuminated the room slightly, glowing a bright purple.

"D-Dean! I'm- I'm s-sorry! I-I.. I didn't mean to do it! I don't know what's going on!" He stuttered out, his whole body shaking in terror.

Dean stared at his eyes in shock, wondering what was going on with the color. But, he simply moved closer, and wrapped his arms around the teen's shoulder. "Hey, hey, it's okay," He soothed,"It's not your fault, but you do need to calm down."

Sam placed a hand on his other shoulder, scooting the cat out of the way, and ignoring the annoyed meow. "Just take deep breaths, calm down, everything's alright, just relax," Sam explained gently.

Tony's crazed, gulping breaths slowly began to slow down. The purple hue from his eyes slowly gave way to the familiar chocolate brown. "I'm.. I'm okay now," He whispered out,"I'm fine."

Dean sighed thankfully, and then stood up. "What happened?" He asked, his hand feeling around until he found one of their emergency torches. When the light was shown on Tony, the older male cried out in surprise, dropping the torch on the ground in surprise.

"Y-you have a tail!" He stuttered, looking at the strange new addition. It was a long, sleek, black tail with a black fur tuft at the end. "Why- How.. Where did that come from?"

Tony brought his hands down, shrugging. "I don't know.. I woke up, and this was all here.." He said, his voice hoarse.

Watching all this from the doorway, Crowley raised his eyebrows, and chuckled. This caused all three of the Winchesters to look up. Sam and Dean's eyes were filled with annoyance, while Tony's were filled with suspicion, a slightly red hue sparkling in his eyes. This only made Crowley chuckled once more, and say,"Well, this is much more interesting than I expected."

"Who the hell are you?" Tony asked, eyes narrowing.

Dean quickly said,"A-ah, um.. This is Crowley. He is a sometimes-friend, and the king of hell" To this statement, Crowley merely waved.

Tony still eyed him suspiciously, as he declared,"You look like a Hot Topic employee."

Crowley raised his eyebrows, surprised by the sassy remark. He looked down at his dark outfit, then back at the teenager. He sighed, crossing his arms, as he replied,"Why do you Winchesters always have to be smartasses? Even your extra baggage has an attitude."

Tony didn't seem angry, but he didn't seem very happy either. He tilted his head, tail flicking on the ground, as he snarked,"This is coming from a guy who looks like a squirrel and Steve Buscemi had a drunk one night stand."

Sam snorted loudly, putting his hand to his mouth. Dean had no shame, and let out a bark of a laugh. Crowley allowed a small smirk to climb up his face. "Touche," He replied.

Looking up at the two older Winchesters, he asked,"I like this one, are you guys gonna keep him?"

Dean was still laughing, making Sam roll his eyes. "He's not a 'This one'" The hunter responded,"His name is Tony, and I think we definitely need some help figuring out what the hell is going on."

Not even Dean could argue with that truth.

* * *

About an hour and several boxes of light bulbs later, the bunker was pretty much back to normal as long as you ignored the pile of broken glass in the corner of each room. Crowley was currently watching in amusement as Dean tried to screw in the light bulb, with no help from the two younger men below him.

"Hey Dean, if you get electrocuted or ingest mercury and die, can I have the Impala?" Tony called up the ladder.

Dean made a 'harumph' noise, before he declared,"Yeah right, like your tiny little ass could reach the pedals."

Tony faked a horrified gasp, his eyes widening, and a hand going to his heart. "How dare you! Don't make me come up there!" He yelled back, shaking his fist.

Crowley crossed his arms, watching the kid for a moment. "You are very relaxed for someone whose body just transformed magically," He mentioned curiously.

"Ah, yes, my mom always told me the day it would come. Your voice gets deeper, you grow body hair, your ears get pointy, and you grow a tail," Tony replied in a wistfully sarcastic tone, making Crowley tilt his head and raise his eyebrows once more.

The young man rolled his eyes, and then continued,"I know how weird it is, but I've had a lot of weird, fucked up shit happen to me, even before the witch kidnapped me. I don't care very much, things could have come out worse, I could have been deformed or killed. All I wanna know is that I'm extremely interested on where it came from, and why."

Tony then made a curious humming noise, and rubbed his chin. The tail waved up and down with his thoughts. "You know.." He queried,"I bet it may have something to do with that weird shield I made.."

"Shield?" Crowley asked again, eyes widened,"Like, a magic shield?"

The brunette nodded. "Yeah, Sam and Dean were getting attacked by these creepy blood monsters, they were about to attack again and I made a weird shield that had all these magic symbols floating in it, it was really weird, but I passed out after that, and then that's sort of how we ended up here."

The king of hell made another curious noise. Standing up with his arms crossed, Crowley circled Tony, looking at his body, and the changes. Strangely, the tail wasn't one color. It seemed to swirl with magic that was all it's own, changing from dark hues of blue, black, and purple as it sparkled with foreign powers.

Tony frowned, growing frustrated with the circling. "What in the world are you doing?" He exclaimed,"What- w-were you a vulture in another life?"

"Oh no sweetie," Crowley responded instantly,"I'm straight from hell."

Tony raised a very unimpressed eyebrow, amusement glowing in his eyes with a golden hue. "Hate to break it to you, princess, but I'm pretty sure that the only word that doesn't describe you is straight," Tony declared.

Dean's ladder shook silently behind them as he tried to hold in the laughter that suddenly filled his lungs. However, during this struggle, the crate of light bulbs slid off before he could grab it, falling to the ground extremely fast with its weight.

This one accident started a sudden change of events that nobody was prepared for. The box crashed right behind Tony, violently invading everyone's ears with the shatters. As it happened, Tony screamed out in surprise from the sudden noise behind him.

Then, something strange happened. It only took a few quick seconds, so fast it almost seemed like a dream. The magic around Tony pulsed, and suddenly, he transformed. A puff of purple clouds popping in the air, as a small brown kitten landed on the ground, before frantically skittering across the floor.

"What the fuck?!" Dean exclaimed, not sure how to register what just happened. Sam had stood up quickly from the table, eyeing the brown cat with confusion.

Tony had his eyes shut, panting fearfully, when he realized that he felt.. Different. Opening his eyes, he looked around in confusion. Everything was.. So much bigger?

Bringing up a hand to scratch at his head thoughtfully, he found a brown paw coming into his vision. He froze, before letting out a cry of shock, looking at himself in blind fear. "What's happening to me!?" Tony yelled out.

Crowley's eyebrows rose when he realized he could understand him, turning to Sam and Dean, he saw they also could. This made the wheels in Crowley's head turn. Could it be? No.. It wasn't possible was it?

Kneeling down, he gently grabbed the scruff of the kitten's back, and lifted him into the air. "Tony, you need to calm down," He ordered, making the now glowing purple eyes turn to him.

He moved, placing the kitten on the table. "Okay, listen," He began,"I want you to try and concentrate, imagine your human form, and imagine yourself changing back to it. Then try and change back."

The cat breathed in and out for a few moments, looking around at everyone to try and see what he should do. After hearing Crowley's orders, and no rejection from Dean, he closed his slowly darkening eyes. Then, the magic swirled again, as Tony's body slowly returned to human form.

It had been a quick interaction, but one that left everyone extremely confused and shocked. "Crowley, what was that!?" Dean exclaimed,"I've never met a magical creature that could do that!"

Crowley stared at the nervous brunette curiously, but all three Winchesters could see the excitement growing in his eyes.

"None of you ever would have. But I never thought they were actually real! I thought they were a myth, but somehow you _are_ one!" Crowley exclaimed, pacing back and forth. "How curious, I can't believe it, after hundreds of years of thinking that-"

"Whoa whoa!" Tony exclaimed,"Stop with this cryptic bullshit, I can't follow a word you're saying! What do you think I am!? What's happening to me!?"

Crowley stopped, turning to the brunette with excitement clear in his eyes. "I don't just _think_ , I know exactly what you are," He declared,"I heard about them all through my life, but they were told to be extinct."

Tony's hard eyes changed slowly, as his own curiosity entered. It made Crowley smirk even more, as he pointed his finger at the young man.

"You, Tony Winchester, are a Druid."

* * *

New York

* * *

It had been eight months, eight long, torturous months of his best friend missing, and nobody believing him.

Rhodey was sitting on a couch in the Avengers compound, Captain America's phone held in his hand. That bastard, he was the cause of this. Ever since the fight in Siberia, Tony had been so depressed, then he vanished. He could try and call Rogers again, but he knew what he would get.

"Stark is probably blowing off steam, you know he is. Just wait a while, he'll stop sulking." That bastard would say. The same as the time before that, and before that, and before that.. Why didn't anyone believe him!?

Clenching his fist, the phone in his hand threatened to give way. Angrily, he yelled, and threw the phone as hard as he could. It clattered to the ground, landing near the hallway.

Through his rage, FRIDAY nervously asked,"Colonel Rhodes, are you alright? Your vitals are rising fast.."

Rhodey didn't reply, walking out of the living area and out of the compound. Once he was outside, he pressed the button on his watch. War Machine flew over the building, landing at next to him completely open for him. Tony had modified it to fit his braces, just before he disappeared.

He was such a kind man, he just wanted to please people. But none of them ever took the time to break through all of Tony's shields, and see the real Tony Stark. None of them saw what Rhodey saw..

This only steeled his decision.

Climbing into the suit, he firmly declared,"If nobody is going to help me look for Tony, then I'll have to do it myself"

The suit closed around him, the faceplate closing completely. Then, War Machine flew into the air, and soon vanished from sight.

The empty Avengers tower was left behind without a single thought.


	5. Chapter 5

"A…Druid?"

Tony's wide eyes stared at the giddy demon, before turning to look at his two brothers with utter confusion swirling inside them. "I don't understand… What's a Druid?" He questioned quizzically.

Sam frowned towards Crowley, pointing at him. "But I thought Druids were extinct? They vanished hundreds of years ago," He explained,"So how could Tony be one?"

"Well, humans and Druids did have relations in the past, it's possible that he had the blood of one,"Crowley responded easily.

Tony growled, throwing his hands up. "What is a Druid?!" He exclaimed, but once again everyone ignored him.

"But if he was a human with Druid blood, he wouldn't have enough power to grow actual physical changes like he did!" Dean declared in return.

Crowley rolled his eyes. "Oh come on, Dean, you know that life is never that simple, it probably has something to do with how he was used by those witches in captivity and- OW!" He cried out the last part as a mug filled with hot coffee slammed into the back of his head. The three men turned towards the frustrated looking Tony, whose eyes were glowing red, the magical tail swishing angrily.

"What. Is. A. Druid?!" He yelled again, holding another cup in his hand with every intention to throw it if he was ignored again, he got enough of that while living with the Avengers.

Crowley rubbed the back of his head, inspecting the teen by the counter. "Tell me, Tony, what kind of experiments do those witches perform on you?" He asked curiously.

Tony physically cringed at the question, causing Sam and Dean to frown protectively. The teen looked away, lowering the cup and seeming to mull over the question for many long seconds. Just as Dean was about to intervene, Tony began to speak.

"They.. They'd use different spells on our blood, and then inject the blood back into us. Different things would happen.. But it was always painful.. That was how the markings appeared on my skin," He whispered, hugging himself and frowning deeply,"You think that had something to do with it?"

Crowley nodded, thankful that the kid was smart enough to catch on. "Yes, of course I can't know for sure without getting a sample of your blood.."

"Fuck off Crowley," Dean snapped defensively, moving in front of the younger. "You've asked enough already."

The demon king chuckled, raising his hands into the air in mock surrender. Tony watched this, before narrowing his eyes. "You still haven't answered my first question," He declared,"What's a Druid?"

Crowley hummed as Tony scooted out so he was able to face him. He found the young man interesting, so answering his question wouldn't bother him one bit.

"Druids were magical, shape shifting creatures of nature, they had an amazing and unique amount of power at their mere fingertips," He explained,"There were barely any limits to what they could do!"

Tony's eyes widened, a glow sparking through them before he looked down at his hands. Just vaguely he could see the symbols dancing across his palms. The feeling of that power surrounded him like a warm blanket, and he couldn't imagine how he ever survived without it.

He clenched his fists, turning to look up at Crowley once more. "You speak about them in the past tense.. What happened to them?" He questioned nervously.

"Well, it's what started it all," Crowley began,"When humans and others who wanted power found out about druids, they would kill them, cut off their tails, anything to gain the amazing magic that they had. Soon, Druids disappeared along with other magical creatures who started to get hunted down after trying to help them. Some of them ended up with humans, hiding within the society and even breeding with them. They were able to change you into full Druid.. I bet you had family who was one. It was probably a grandparent.. Or a parent. That's the only way you could have survived such experiments and become a full Druid."

Tony frowned, looking down at himself again. It couldn't have been Howard, he hated anything to do with mutants. Tony sincerely doubted that he would think of magic any different. Could.. Could his mother have been a Druid? Partly Druid? He didn't know.

His brown eyes turned back towards the demon king, and forced a smile on his face. "Well, thanks for the info, Goo Goo Doll! I think I'll take it from here!"

Tony quickly left down a hallway, leaving Sam and Dean to watch him go nervously. They didn't know Tony for long, but that wasn't his usual happy grin.

The tension that suddenly appeared seemed to bother Crowley too, as he quickly cleared his throat and said,"Well, I think I'll let my services be free tonight, considering I discovered a Druid. I have a lot of hell to raise though, so I'll take my leave now. Goodbye boys!"

He vanished as soon as he finished speaking, not even a trail of smoke left behind. Sam and Dean instantly turned towards each other, a worried look passing through both their eyes.

"Let's go find him," Sam declared, causing his older brother to nod firmly. They both saw it, something about what Crowley said was bothering their adopted brother.

The two men looked around for Tony, and were unable to find him at first. They searched the kitchen, the garage, and the library but there was simply no sign of the teen.

Dean frowned, his bright eyes filled with worry. They searched all the places Tony tended to spend time at, and yet he had vanished. Where else would he go?

Suddenly, a thought popped into his head. "I think I know where he is," The man declared, turning and swiftly wandering towards his room.

Light crawled into the dark room as he pushed the door open, a small creek of the hinges following it. Dean ignored all that, his eyes turning to look around for the young man in their care.

Sure enough, there he was. On the bed, he could see Tony curled up on his side, his brown bangs covering his eyes, and Dean's red flannel wrapped around around him like a shield. The strange tail he now has was wrapped around his body as well, as if he was hugging himself with it. One hand was emerging from the flannel cover, however, and resting on top of the fluffy cat that was nestled against the teen's chest. Other than the slight movement of the fingers to pet the animal, Tony remained still.

Sam frowned worriedly, before wandering over and moving towards the teen. "Tony?" He asked softly, his weight causing the bed to sink slightly. Although Tony didn't respond, he saw the tail tighten around his body.

"Tony," Sam began again,"What's bothering you? Is it what Crowley said?"

Dean then cut in. "If it is, I'm not afraid to kick his prissy ass for you," He firmly declared.

A small smile emerged on Tony's face, before instantly being overshadowed by sadness. The teen sighed, lifting his head to look at them.

"It's not that _Crowley_ bothered me.. It's just.. What he said about DNA.. How I could only become a Druid if someone in my immediate family was one.." He explained, curling his toes as he spoke.

Tony then moved, sitting up slightly, and transferring the cat to his lap. "It just doesn't make sense.. My father couldn't have been one, and he'd never even _think_ of marrying one.. He hated anything to do with mutants, I doubt a magic creature would be any different," The teen continued.

"Well he probably didn't know," Sam answered easily,"Most magical creatures, especially in this day and age, aren't easy to spot, even if you know what to look for. But from the way you say he acts , maybe it was from your mother's side."

Tony's lip quirked at the thought of his mother, a warm feeling exploding in his chest. _I wouldn't be surprised if mom was a Druid.._ He thought happily. _She was always so loving and gentle, and she always loved nature too. I miss the walks we took together.._

"Yeah, I think she was..." He whispered, trapped in a state of nostalgia. A thought occurred to him as he sat there.

Tony turned his head to look towards his adoptive brothers, glowing eyes filled with affection. "If this magic comes from my mom.. Then I want to learn how to use it, I want to remember her with it," He declared.

Sam and Dean both grew smiles on their faces as well. The older of the two reached forward, ruffling Tony's hair playfully. "Of course, Tones, and we'll help you every step of the way," He declared,"You'll be our very own Gandalf!"

"Tony the Short!" Dean suddenly exclaimed, a cheeky smile on his face.

Tony gasped, placing a hand against his heart in mock hurt. "How dare you, Dean!" He declared,"You hath insulted me of the highest honor! I shall curse you, and change you into the squirrel you are!"

"Children! Children!" Sam called out,"Save the magic duels for Dungeons and Dragons, alright? We have other things to worry about.. Like the fact that our dinner is probably spoiled now."

Tony and Dean both went silent, although Dean was seemingly much more upset about the idea of not eating dinner than Tony was.

But all of a sudden, the man perked up. "I guess we'll just have to go get burgers and fries! And a pie for dessert!" He exclaimed.

Sam opened his mouth, as if he was about to protest, before sighing. "Fine, fine, let's go.." He relieved.

Dean pumped a victorious fist in the air, before jumping up and dashing out the door. "Alright! Let's go!" He yelled, already ready to go drive his baby some more.

Sam rolled his eyes in amusement, before getting up and turning the the brunette. "Let's hurry up before Dean dies of starvation," He teased, before wandering out the door.

Tony smiled, nodding quickly as he slid off the bed, holding the cat in his arms. He headed down the hallway, eyes aglow with happiness and enjoying the feeling of the magic flowing through him. Even though he had been a little apprehensive at first, he now felt much better.

For once, though, he didn't have to cheer himself up.. Because he had a family to do that for him.

A warm feeling filled his heart, as his eyes turned to look up, towards the heaven he knew his mom resided in.

 _Mom.. I'll use your gift, I make you proud, and I'll protect my brothers with it no matter what._

* * *

After several long days of searching, Rhodey was starring to feel hopeless. It was almost as if Tony had vanished into thin air. How could one person be everyone and suddenly nowhere!?

After searching every piece of property he knew the billionaire had, and several states Tony frequented, he was still no closer to finding his best friend than before.

Eventually, his desperate fervor began to slow down, and he found himself in rainy Colorado. It was the first time since his search began that he actually stopped to take in his surroundings.

Around him was a small town, surrounded by luscious green forests. The town itself was filled with dreary, worn down buildings that seemed to match Rhodey's own feelings at that moment.

He had removed War Machine, hiding it in the woods until he needed it again. For now, his search was on hold, he wasn't sure he could handle anymore pain.

Much to his relief, he found a small cafe within the confines of the small town. He walked up the concrete steps, careful not to slip, and entered the building.

As he pushed the door open, a small jungle of the bell announced his arrival. Instantly, he was surrounded by warmth and the smell of coffee and pastries. It felt nice after being within that cold suit for so long.

Rhodey stood at the doorway awkwardly, wondering why there was no sign of any employees. _Oh well.._ He thought _I'm not sure I could stomach food right now.._

He moved to the closest table, sitting down, and burying his face in his calloused hands. His heart was burning with sadness and pain, and he didn't know what else he could do.

There was a clack of something ceramic on his desk, making him look up towards the sound. Sitting in front of him was a steaming hot cup of coffee, and there stood a young server in front of him. She had brown hair, brown eyes, and tan skin. A small smile was plastered on her face.

Rhodey's own dark eyes looked from her to the cup a few times, before he said,"I.. Um.. I didn't order anything.."

"It's alright sir, Soldiers always drink free," She said, her voice filled with respect and care.

A warm feeling swelled in his heart, and he felt a thankful smile crawl up his face. "Well, thank you very much then!" He replied, before picking up the warm cup, and taking a large sip.

He could feel the warmth sliding down his throat and spreading throughout him. _Damn.. I don't think I've ever tasted a coffee this good before!_ Rhodey thought in shock. It almost felt like he was drunk.

The man placed down his empty coffee cup with a thankful sigh, closing his eyes and leaning back in his seat. He felt so much better, all from one cup of coffee.

He probably would have stayed that way forever, but he quickly shook himself. _I have to keep looking for Tony_.. He thought firmly,

As if the universe was answering his prayer, he opened his dark eyes, and saw a figure standing outside. He was wearing a pair of dirty jeans, a AC/DC shirt, and a black coat over it. His short brown hair was messy, but that styled beard was one he could recognize anywhere.

"Tony..?" Rhodey whispered, jerking to a standing. As if he had heard him through the glass, Tony's eyes turned towards him, and he began to walk towards the cafe quickly. This only made Rhodey more frantic. "Tony!"

He threw himself from the seat, running out into the rain and throwing his arms around the younger man.

After he held that body against his own for a few moments, he pulled away, and yelled,"Where Have you been!? Why did you just vanish like that!? Do you know how fucking worried I was!?"

Tony gave him a small, sad smile. "I know, I'm sorry," He replied,"But we can't talk about it here James, we need to move somewhere safer."

 _James?_ Rhodey wondered. _Tony never uses my first name, even when he is worried about something.._ He quickly shook himself. _No, maybe he just has something really important to tell me._

"Alright Tones, lead the way!" He declared,"And this better be good!"

Tony nodded, and grabbed Rhodey's hand, wandering towards one of the many grey buildings around them. The rain continued to splatter all over them, and that only seemed to make Tony speed up more.

Rhodey's braces were having trouble keeping up, as he said,"Hey Tony! Slow down, I don't think my braces can handle much more of this-"

"It's fine, we're almost there," He declared, the rain making his hair plaster against his head. His tone was dismissive, and that bothered Rhodey. Why was his best friend acting so weird?

Rhodey's brain danced up a solution quickly, and he faked a laugh. "Haha, you always lie about that stuff, just like a woman putting makeup on," He exclaimed,"Next think I know you'll tell me that your suit is made out of gold titanium alloy instead of iron!"

"Oh come on, James," The imposter teased back,"We all know it's made of iron! Don't mess with me like that!"

Rhodey knew that Tony wouldn't respond like that, he would say something snarky or mention the icing problem. He'd never be so serious about it.

The man slammed his feet down, causing the faker to stumble. He turned to face Rhodey, parts of his cheek now a melted grey color. "Hey James, why did you stop? We're almost there!" He exclaimed.

"You're not Tony Stark," Rhodey declared without missing a beat.

The imposter's eyes widened, before his shoulders lowered, eyes sliding shut with a frustrated sigh. "I hate prey that fights.." He snarled, his voice suddenly much deeper. His eyes snapped open to reveal yellow irises and a black sclera.

Before Rhodey could have a chance to try and escape, the imposter tightened his grip, swung around, and threw Rhodey into the grey building they were approaching. The soldier could only scream as his body slammed into the ground, his braces ripping apart violently.

He groaned, coughing up blood as he pushed his upper half up. When he tried to call for his feet to move, however, he found himself trapped.

There was the sound of disembodied laughing, causing Rhodey to jerk up with wide eyes. Walking into the rubble was the young waitress, and the imposter Tony Stark.

Right before Rhodey's eyes, and to his horror, the two humans suddenly began to melt. Their skin peeled away, revealing completely opaque bodies underneath. Their eyes were completely black, except for the yellow pupils.

"Humans, you are so weak, so easy to fool," The imposter Tony declared,"You are so vulnerable to the desires you search for, you never notice how much danger you are actually in."

The waitress one giggled as black, shredded wings emerged from her back. "Master! Can you feel it!? All the sadness and pain crawling off of him? It smells so delicious!" She squealed,"Please! Let's start now! I'm salivating!"

The taller one regarded her with a smile, before he turned back towards the terrified man. "Yes.. Let us feast~"

As he spoke, several other opaque creatures crawled out of crevices in the building. Their slimy bodies crawled towards Rhodey, their echoing laughs burning into his brain. Strange opaque tentacles crawled towards the man as well, wrapping around his limbs and burning him with every touch.

He desperately tried to get up, to run, to struggle, to break free, to do _anything_ , but he was trapped. All he could do as they closed in was open his mouth and cry for help.

His screams rang throughout the forest..

Too bad no one was around to hear them..


	6. Chapter 6

Three Weeks Later

* * *

Tony stared at the pages, his eyes roaming over it thoughtfully. Dean was sitting nearby, swallowing down another spoonful of his macaroni and cheese, while the tortoiseshell cat was curled up on the counter next to the teen. The past weeks had been spent in their bunker, as Tony sought to discover more about his powers. It had been slow, but he was getting better the more he practiced.

He read over the spell once more, before closing the dusty book, and looking at his test subject. It was a wilted lily, slumped down and mostly brown. "Okay," He whispered,"I got this, it's just a flower." Despite his words, the stupid plant still seemed intimidating. Then again, so did magic.

The Druid took a deep breath, before placing his hands on either side of the pot. "Wilted lily, faded and impure, regain your color and power to endure," He whispered. The blue waves flowed from his fingers and onto the plant, and suddenly a green hue began to return to the stem.

Tony's eyes widened, heart filling with happiness at the success. He continued to whisper the chant, watching the lily rise, and began to bloom with beautiful colors once more. The leaves began to spread again, and Tony felt his whole body explode with excitement. It's working! It's working-

"Hey guys!" Sam's voice suddenly called out, making all three whip around to face him. Suddenly, when he was not concentrating on his magic, it went haywire. The flower pot exploded, sending glass all over. The cat meowed in panic, jumping off the counter and Tony was not far from her, landing several feel away with his whole body shaking.

Castiel, who had followed Sam in, moved and patted Tony on the back. "It is alright, Tony, you must simply learn to control the amount of power you put into your spell," He explained,"Some angels have the same problem."

Tony looked up at the man, before letting a toothy smile climb up his face. "Thanks, feathers," He replied,"I'll try and learn how to do that."

Dean had placed his empty bowl down, and walked over to his brother. "What's up, Sammy?" He asked,"What's got you so chipper?"

Sam smiled, moving to the wooden table and placing his laptop down. "I found an interesting hunt we can check out," He explained,"There's a forest in Colorado, any solo hikers that go into it go missing, and later on they're found completely drained of blood and organs dried out.. But when groups go in they come back fine. Seems kind of strange, doesn't it?"

Tony grabbed a stool, moving to sit by the laptop. "Couldn't a human do that, though?" He asked, messing with his pointy ears as he stared at the report.

"I suppose they could, but it sounds like it would be worth investigating. Many of the groups mentioned they thought to be seeing things, but nobody was taken unless they went off on their own, doesn't that seem strange?" Sam questioned.

Dean hummed, and then slammed his hand on the counter. "Sounds like it could be interesting, why don't we go check it out?" He asked,"Because, as much fun as it it to watch Tony destroy pottery, I've been itching for a good hunt!"

Tony placed a hand on his heart, releasing a false gasp of hurt. "Dean, you wound me!" He exclaimed,"You'd better watch that potted plant in your room _very_ closely tonight.."

Castiel stared at them confusedly, obviously about to question what the potted plant could possibly do to Dean, but Sam quickly interjected. "Well, if we're going to do this hunt, we need money," He declared,"So I think it's time to put some of our old poker skills to the test!"

Tony tilted his head curiously, turning to look at Sam. "Poker… Skills?" He asked curiously.

The shorter of the brothers wrapped his arm around the druid, ruffling his messy brown hair. "Oh! Tony, it's so fun!" Dean said excitedly,"Whenever we need money for a hunt, we go out and cheat in poker and other games. Now you can join us! We'll teach you all our tricks!"

Tony snickered, and happily replied,"I bet!" Within his mind though, the genius couldn't hide the amusement on his face. _I think I know way more than you'd believe, Dean._ He thought, eyes glowing a bright green of excitement.

"Well then, we should pack for the road," Cas declared,"I will grab the honey." He then turned into the kitchen, wandering away.

Sam gave an exasperated look, and whispered,"But we don't even have honey in the- Ugh.. Nevermind."

Dean rolled his eyes, and quickly replied,"We'd better make sure that honey isn't all that he packs. I swear, Cas is like an eight year old sometimes."

Tony nodded in agreement, watching Dean leave as Sam picked up his laptop and followed. The druid waited until they were gone, before turning towards the cat on the counter. "You coming with?" He asked.

The cat finished cleaning her paw, and softly replied,"I'll be staying here. I'm not made for battles against the mythical."

The Druid hummed, and said,"Okay, we'll be back in hopefully less than a month, so you're in charge until then."

The cat closed her eyes, nodding her head the slightest bit. Tony nodded in return, before turning and wandering towards the entrance. Before he could escape the kitchen, he stopped, looking towards the spellbooks on the table.

After a moment of hesitation, he moved back over, and gathered the dusty books together. "Might as well," He muttered,"practice makes perfect, after all."

With all his needed items in hand, Tony turned off the lights, and exited the bunker.

* * *

Outside, the autumn trees were beginning to lose their leaves in preparation for the winter. The cold, crisp air felt good to breathe in, and the sight of the Impala waiting for them filled with Druid with excitement.

At the trunk, he could see Sam and Dean with a few boxes, arguing over something as usual. Cas, meanwhile, simply placed his honey jar down and walked over to Tony. "Which side of the backseat would you like?" He asked.

"Um… I'll sit behind Dean," He decided, and Cas nodded in return, turning to look at the men again. The two mythical creatures stared in silence for a while, before Tony asked,"What- Um.. What are they arguing over this time?"

Cas' bright eyes looked at him. "I believe it's about what supplies we should take, weapon wise," He replied.

Tony rolled his eyes, not surprised. Those two were always worried about how much they should bring. He quickly walked over, looking at the mound of violent killing items in the back.

"We gotta stock up, Sammy!" Dean was exclaiming. "We don't know what this thing could be!"

Sam used his height to his advantage as he argued,"Dean, I've run the numbers. There are only a few monsters that we could end up running into, it's better to just bulk up on _those_ weapons."

Tony quickly squeezed between them, and exclaimed,"Ladies! Ladies! I think we should go with Dean this time. Even if you have theories, Sam, we really have no idea what we're going up against. Better safe than sorry, right?"

Sam lifted his finger, opening his mouth as if he was going to argue. But then, he lowered his head and thought about it. "I suppose you're right," He stated,"It's probably safer if we do that.."

Dean practically glowed with happiness at winning against his younger brother, and he slammed the trunk closed. "Alright, let's get this party started!" He exclaimed,"Get it? Because it's Colorado, and the weed-"

" _YES_ , Dean, we get it!" Sam exclaimed, quickly dashing into the passenger seat. Dean's grin only grew bigger, reminding Tony of a child who realized he had gotten away with something. Those bright eyes turned towards the brunette and hesitating.

He pointed near Tony's side. "Don't forget to hide your tail," He reminded the teen. "If anyone were to see that, I can only imagine the panic afterwards!"

Tony gasped. I had totally forgotten! He realized, lifting his shirt, and wrapping his tail around his torso. Then, he pulled his shirt back down, and gave Dean a thumbs up. The older returned it right away, and then they both climbed into the Impala.

The beast purred as Dean turned the key, picking up one of his tapes. Sam leaned down, picking up their map, as he declared,"Let's do this!"

"Hell fucking yeah!" Dean exclaimed in return, shoving the tape into his player. "Road trip!"

Back in Black filled the car as they drove away, heading towards what would hopefully be a successful hunt.

* * *

After a long day of driving, the Impala slowed down, and pulled into the parking lot of a rundown bar within a small town. Dean then whipped around, facing the rest of th group. "Okay, Tones, it's time to get some money," He declared,"See that building over there? We're gonna get in there with our fake IDs, and cheat our way to fruition!"

"YAY!" Tony exclaimed, throwing his hands up, and then bringing them back down to hug himself. "Fraud and cheating! My mother would be so proud of me!"

Dean cheered in return, before shoving his door open. Sam chuckled softly, grabbing all their fake IDs and heading out as well. The two backseat passengers quickly followed. Before they could reach the door, however, Castiel grabbed Tony. The druid whipped around, and saw the angel staring at him with a concerned look.

"Tony, I'm sorry if this hurts your feelings, but if your mother would be proud of you for criminal activities, I don't think you should associate with her anymore," He firmly declared, his face filled with more emotion than Tony had ever seen before.

The genius gave a gentle grin, holding Castiel's hand comfortingly. "I appreciate the concern, Cas, but I was only joking around," He promised,"My mom was a very responsible and loving woman."

The angel's tense shoulders slumped over with a sigh of relief, as he whispered,"Okay, that's good. I just needed to make sure."

Tony was both touched and pained by Castiel's concern. It reminded him of Thor to a painful degree, back when the Asgardian was still learning about human culture. Despite the memories, it filled him with happiness that Castiel cared enough to check and make sure. The Winchester gang was more like a family to him than anyone else had been.

Sending a comforting smile toward the angel, he replied,"Come on, let's go do this! Then we can hunt down that creature!"

Castiel returns the smile with a small one of his own, before running to catch up with the two brothers. Tony grinned mischievously, and rubbed hands together. _Time to dust of my poker skills!_

* * *

A few hours had passed, and all three Winchesters were in their own pool games, while Castiel was enjoying the music coming from the jukebox. The two older were very close to their win, while Tony was working on luring the men into a false sense of security.

He stuttered, acted awkward, and stumbled with his cards every now and then. This made several of the men push all their stacks of cash in the middle, believing it would be easy to win against the 'kid'. Almost everyone believed him, all but one.

He was a man whose brown mustache was so bushy, Tony couldn't really tell if he had an upper lip or not. He was wearing a flannel with a jean jacket, jeans, and cowboy boots, and went by 'Dill'. He apparently was a frequent customer, and very good player. The whole game, he had kept his suspicious eyes on Tony, and barley bet.

"So, you're really 21?" Dill suddenly asked, for what seemed like the hundredth time. Tony wanted to quip back, but he kept up his fake personality.

Messing with his cards hesitantly, he replied,"W-well, yeah! I- Um… Me and my brothers are- Um.. Celebrating. I-I'm just not one for parties.. Or- Or poker."

The greasy man on the corner of the table suddenly looked shifty, as he said,"Well, why don't you go all in? It is your birthday after all."

Looking at the small pile of money Dean gave him, he tilted his head, and confusedly asked,"Go… All in?"

Dill, who looked less suspicious now, supplied,"You bet all your money, like this." Then, much to Tony's surprise, he pushed all his cash into the middle and did not return it. _He must think I don't know what I'm doing.._ Tony realized. Oh well, that works for me!

Giving an innocent smile, Tony pushed his cash into the middle. Dill smiled back, although Tony noticed the hidden plan in his eyes. "Alright everyone!" The man said,"Show me your hand!"

The five other men revealed their hands slowly, ranging from a high card to a two pair. They all looked toward the cash longingly, before turning towards Dill. The man's jaw had dropped, his straight hand forgotten in favor of looking at Tony's hand… A royal flush.

Tony smiled, and declared,"W-wow! Beginners luck I guess!" He leaned over, pulling the wads of cash closer to him. "Thank you guys, you were really good teachers, but I really should head out now-"

Dill suddenly jerked up, his beer glasses crashing to the ground as he grabbed the front of Tony's shirt, and yanked him forward. "Cut the shit, you little twink! Nobody could be that good so quick! You cheated!"

The druid could no longer contain himself, as he dropped his innocent stutter and replied,"Maybe you're just losing your edge, old timer."

The man's top lip was now visible as it curled into a snarl, his hand tightening before flying towards Tony's face. Not about to be outdone, Tony grabbed the greasy man's beer glass, splashing the liquid onto the man's face. Dill screeched in surprise, letting go of Tony and frantically rubbing at his eyes.

The genius landed, quickly scrambling to grab the money and shove it into the paper bag with h. By the time he stood up, Dill had recovered enough to focus on his rage once more. "You piece'a shit cheater!" He yelled, picking up the empty glass Tony had used, and throwing it.

With a surprised squeak, Tony ducked, sending the cup crashing into the display of different types of beers, and causing them to fall too. The woman behind the counter cried out, running away as fast as she could. The male bartender wasn't so lucky, being hit by several bottles. He, in turn, ran over to Dill, and started yelling in his face.

People began to crowd them, as more yelled and he heard crashes. When Dill finally threw a punch, the young man punched back. Dill fell into someone else, who he them smacked. Soon, an all out brawl began.

With widened eyes, Tony quickly cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled,"I think it's time to go!"

Sam, with his earnings, quickly ran over with Castiel in tow. Since Dean's competitors had left mid-game, the man simply leaned forward, grabbed the money, and dashed away. Quickly, the quartet ran out, throwing the cash into the car before jumping in themselves.

Dean quickly turned the keys, beginning to back out. Just as he began to shift back into drive, Tony saw a familiar moustache in the doorway. "Drive, Dean! Drive!" He exclaimed. Dean quickly skidded away, driving over the curb, and speeding down the road.

The quartet started with wide eyes at the road ahead of them until the bar had faded into the distance. Finally, Tony shook himself off. "Well.. That guy was pretty unbeerable," He casually stated, leaning back in his seat.

Sam snorted, and began to chuckle and Dean let out a bark of a laugh. Castiel smiled softly, chuckling a bit to himself. The younger then turned back to look at them. "How much did we get?" He asked curiously.

Tony pulled the bag up onto his lap, pulling out the stacks they had managed to grab and counting them quickly. "We got away with about two thousand dollars and… OH! There's a few hot wing boxes at the bottom of the bag too!"

Dean slammed his hands against the wheel with a happy howl. "FUCK YEAH!" He yelled,"I love free food! Let's find a motel so we can get this party started!"

As twilight passed by, the Winchesters were all asleep in their motel room. Dean had slumped over with an empty box still on his chest, Sam right next to him. Even Castiel, surprisingly, had fallen asleep. Tony, however, couldn't seem to follow them. No matter how hard he tried, he simply could not fall into an embrace with the darkness.

That was what led him to sitting outside the motel door, the weak beam of the street light his only company. The closer they had been getting to the hiking trail, the more apprehensive he felt. It wasn't that he was afraid of the hunt… It was an instinct clawing at his heart. It was telling him that… Something was going to happen.

 _But what?_

* * *

After a few more hours of driving, they finally arrived. The lush green trees that surrounded them were untouched by humans, except for the trail map. Unsurprisingly, with all the mysterious deaths, the trail was abandoned. Sam was examining the trail names, before finally tapping one. "This one, the Breeze Trail," He declared.

"Alright, let's do this," Dean said, clicking the safety off his gun, and lifting the large bag onto his shoulder. "But let's stick together, we're much safer as a group."

The other three all nodded eagerly, before heading down the trail. It was tense, not a sound but their footsteps. Something about the feeling in the air was making Tony apprehensive. This time, it wasn't instinct, even his magic was turning cold.

The Druid wasn't the only one feeling that way. Next to him, Castiel's bright blue eyes were shifting nervously. He caught Tony's gaze, who nodded at him. The druid quickly turned. "Dean.." He whispered,"This place.. We can sense magic."

Sam, instead of looking nervous, simply grew proud. "I knew it," He replied,"Now we just have to hunt them down."

"But how?" Castiel asked,"They say only single hikers went missing. They won't come out for us."

Tony's mind worked quickly, and soon, he had an idea. "Guys, you go back," He declared,"Leave the forest, then have Castiel bring you back in five minutes. Once they're out, they can't hide again."

They all instantly looked concerned, and Tony quickly replied,"If anything happens, I can handle myself long enough for you guys to find me."

Although Sam still looked hesitant, Dean leaned forward and ruffled Tony's hair. "You got this, little bro," He caringly whispered in return, before grabbing his two companion's hands. "Come on, guys! I think I left our camping gear in the trunk! Tony will find a good spot!"

Tony watched them leave, feeling a bit nervous about what he had just agreed to. When he was an Avenger, things were so much easier to predict. But magic was different, magic was an anomaly. And even though he had powers himself, he still didn't know anything about it, really.

The druid shook himself. _Now is not the time to chicken out!_ He told himself, before taking a deep breath, and continuing to walk.

As soon as he moved farther into the forest, the magic surrounding him began to change. He could feel it morphing, trying to change. But suddenly, all activity stopped.

" _You…"_ An echoed voice croaked," _You're… A druid. Why have you come here?"_

Tony whipped his head around, his brown eyes roaming all through the green foliage for the source of the voice. "I'm here to help the humans," He slowly replied,"You're the one who is making those humans disappear, aren't you?"

" _Making them?_ " The voice laughed," _They wanted to stay, Druid. They wanted to stay and they did, because we gave them their true desires!"_

Tony narrowed his eyes, before realizing what was happening, and walked past a tree splattered with blood. "Ah.." He whispered,"That's why you can't attack groups, none of them have the same wants. You can only lure in one person at a time, like a Venus fly trap."

The voice was suspiciously silent, but the particles in the air had grown frozen. It felt as if he was swabbed by a large blanket of power.

" _You think you are smart for figuring it out, Druid?_ " He sneered," _You aren't the first, and you want be the last! Not that anyone will know, since you're not leaving anyways."_

In that moment, Tony noticed the same tree from before. _That can't be possible, I'm only walking forward.._. He froze, turning back towards the tree. _I'm in an illusion_

He flexed his hand, gathering a shaky ball of magic. "I know a trick when I see one, you motherfuckers!" He snarled, throwing the crackling ball right at the tree.

The magic exploded, followed by violent screeching. Then, everything began to melt away like paint. The bright trees were replaced with darkness, and the sky that surrounded him vanished. Darkness was all he saw.

Then, he woke up.

A large gasp escaped him, followed by a scream of pain. He was trapped, suffocating within a strange, slimy cocoon. _It was fake!_ He realized. _They'd already trapped us!_

Tony felt the slime attempt to constrict him once more. "No!" He yelled, thrashing against it. His arm exploded through, burning with magic. He quickly pulled himself away, taking huge gulps of the air that now held him close, and desperately trying to understand what had happened.

 _When did they catch me? Did the others make it okay? How long was I trapped?_ He whispered, forcing himself to a standing. The remains of his eaten shirt fell off, unraveling the tail wrapped around him.

His brown eyes finally cleared enough to view his surroundings. There was only dirt and slime, with roots hanging above them. He saw no entrance. Among the slime, however, he saw more misty pods. Just like the one he had been trapped in. Dropped in the middle of the pods was a bag, the contents spilling from it. _That's Dean's bag…_ Tony realized.

 _They're here!_ He realized, running towards the nearest. He shoved his hands within the slime, ignoring the hissing snarls. Finally, his hand made contact with someone. He quickly grabbed hold tight, pulling with all his mind. With a squelching pop, he freed a long haired male from his confines. It was Sam.

"Sam! SAM!" He yelled, frantically shaking the older until he began to gasp for air.

He lurched up, turning to look at the druid in confusion. "Tony!" He exclaimed,"How did we get here?!"

"It was the thing! It put us into an illusion, we need to find Cas and Dean!" Tony frantically exclaimed, before leaping to his feet. He knelt towards the next pod, shoving his hands in once more.

After rooting around, he once again grabbed hold of an arm. Quickly pulling, he found Castiel inside. "Cas! Wake up, NOW!" He yelled, before running to the next one.

He could hear Sam running, and calling for their brother. Tony ignored it in favor of reaching into the pod in the middle. Instead of a strong hand, he felt a nearly skeletal body. _Oh fuck.. How long has this person been trapped here?!_

Afraid to pull the person out, he pulled his hand closer, ripping open the top as violently as possible. His brown eyes quickly fell onto the person inside.

It wasn't Dean, it was a dark skinned man with strange contraptions around his legs. They were prosthetics.. That were glowing blue. Tony's eyes widened, he knew who that was.

"RHODEY!" He screamed, grabbing the man's shoulders and pulling him out as quickly as possible. He was light, so light.. And completely limp.

Terror stabbed through the brunette, tears filling his vision. "Rhodey! Please don't be dead! Please!"

He lied the man on the ground, placing his ear to the weak chest. Before he could hear a thing, a loud screech exploded through the cavern.

Tony cried out, hands going to cover his sensitive ears, as the monster's voice returned. "How dare you, Druid!" He screeched,"No one has ever escaped, until _you_ appeared! WE'LL KILL YOU ALL!"

"The only ones that will die in here is you!" Sam yelled, pulling out the pistol from his pocket.

The slime on the ground began to form into opaque bodies, with black eyes and white pupils. Tony watched the fight began, and was desperate to join. He turned toward the weakened body of his friend, then back toward the fighting.

Quickly, he thought of what he wanted, and slammed his hands down on the ground. A shield formed around Rhodey. Then, Tony dashed toward the fight.

Dean tossed him a knife, which Tony used to slice at one of the creatures. To his horror, the cut was instantly filled up again. There was no sign he had even attacked.

"This isn't working!" Tony called, stumbled back from the slime forming at his feet.

"You think I don't notice that?!" Dean frantically cried, hissing in pain as a gash opened on his arm. The blood splattered onto the creature, and spread through it.

Tony's panicked eyes noticed this, and looked towards each other. _They absorb things._ Tony realised.

As he backed up again, His leg hit the bag that he had seen before. With no other ideas, Tony buried his hands into it. Out of the bag, he found a heavy can of gasoline, and matches. He quickly threw it down, spreading into the monsters' bodies.

Tony then flicked the match, and threw it. It hit the first monster, who began screeching once more as the gasoline ignited. His body expanded with the first, and then completely exploded. The fire began to spread, and Tony knew what was coming.

He threw his hands out, the forcefield around Rhodey expanded, and opened up around the quartet. Then, he pulled his hand to his chest, reducing the forcefield to as small as possible. Tony lifted up Rhodey, holding them close as they clustered together. The explosions rocked them all, the screeching breaking through even his protective bubble.

Finally, the shaking stopped, and light suddenly burst through as the ground above them collapsed. They all remained frozen, waiting for a full minute as they listened for anything in the silence. At the end of that minute, Tony's breathing was labored, and the forcefield faded away.

Dean, Sam, and Castiel quickly gathered around him and Rhodey. They waited for more creatures to come, but none did. The man's bright eyes turned towards the exhausted Druid. "Good job, little bro," He replied.

Despite his exhaustion, Tony felt his heart warm up. "Thanks Dean," He whispered, turning to look down at Rhodey.

He pulled the man forward, placing his pointes ear to his chest. Faintly, even for his sensitive ears, but it was there. He sighed in relief, and turned back towards Dean.

"Dean.. We need to help him! I know him, he's my friend," he said,"I can't let him die! We have to help him!"

A hand rested on his shoulder, causing the teen to jump. He looked over at Sam, who had knelt down with a gentle smile. "You don't have to worry, Tony," He declared,"He's coming with us. Castiel can take you guys to the bunker and you can start helping him right away."

Tony signed in relief, and whispered,"Thank you… Thank you so much.."

* * *

Less than an hour later, Rhodey was in a bed, swaddled with blankets. Tony sat next to him, sweating with exhaustion, but he still forced the green glow in his hand to remain over his friend. It was a healing spell he had read the second they arrived at the bunker, so it wasn't that strong, but it was enough.

Holding his hand over a burn, he forced more of his magic into the pell, watching the black mark slowly fade away. Rhodey's breathing was improving, while Tony's was labored. But he didn't stop, he couldn't. Not until Rhodey was completely healed.

Suddenly, Rhodey made a soft whimpering noise, his body beginning to shudder. Tony's free hand moved, taking the weak hand in his own, and giving a gente squeeze. "It's okay, Rhodey," He promised,"I'm not going to let anything happen to you anymore, no matter what."

"I'm here for you now, brother, and I'll never leave again."


	7. Chapter 7

Rhodey felt awareness return to him slowly, and then all at once. There was a clawing in his stomach, and a dull pain throbbing through his whole body. _What happened…?_

Suddenly, the memories all came back to him. The imposter, the monsters, the pain. But now he was awake, he had to get up, he had to fight, and escape!

Rhodey's eyes snapped open, and he frantically tried to stand up, and get away. But there was something warm wrapped around him, and it wouldn't set him free. _Let me go! Let me g-_

The soft fabric underneath him was suddenly gone, and his body crashed onto the ground. The warmth was gone, and the pain had returned. He limp foot caught on something, and a loud shattering noise invaded his sensitive ears. He let out a cry of anguish, his blurry vision desperately trying to find an escape. _There is none! I can't get out, I can't get out!_

"Wha- Rhodey!" A strangely familiar voice called,"What are you doing? You need to get back into bed, you need to rest."

There were suddenly hands on his shoulders, pulling him back. "No!" He yelled, throwing his elbow back. It slammed into the thing behind him with a satisfying crack. The hands jerked away, and Rhodey fell back down.

His freedom didn't last long, and those hands returned. Rhodey struggled as much as he could. "Let me go! I'll kill you, I swear!" He snarled,"You won't get me again!"

"Rhodey, I'm not going to hurt you! Calm down!" The familiar voice snapped. When no pain followed after the voice spoke, Rhodey allowed himself to slow down and try to take in his surroundings.

The room had red bricks and cream walls, with brown hardwood floors. There was a mahogany desk with a laptop, an old fashioned radio, and lamp as well as a bookshelf stacked with items. Suddenly, the Colonel felt confused. _This isn't the place those… Things took me.._

There was a shuffle of movement, causing Rhodey to whip his head around quickly. Instead of the opaque monster he expected, he found himself staring at the exact opposite. It was a teenage boy with messy brown hair, brown eyes, marks on his wrists, and blood splattered on his face.

Rhodey narrowed his dark eyes, still suspicious that he might be in a trap. "Who the fuck are you?" He snarled, only to feel slight shame as the teen's worried face morphed into sadness.

"You.." He began, before faltering. He went to rub his pale hands together, before bringing his now sad chocolate eyes up towards him. "You don't recognize me, platypus?"

That simple word sent a bolt of nostalgic shock through the man. The only person who called him that was… "Tony?" He croaked.

That was it, it was Tony. He looked almost exactly like his college self, that lanky teenage brat whom Rhodey became friends with all those years ago. Those brown eyes jerked up once more, bright with hope. He smiled, nodding feverishly, before growing nervous. He moved closer, kneeling to Rhodey's height. Slowly, he tried to explain. "I'm sorry, I know this is all really weird, but I-"

Rhodey didn't allow his friend to continue, instead grabbing his shirt, and pulling the smaller into a large hug. He wrapped his scrawny arms around Tony as tightly as he could, and buried his face in the shoulder. All the brave defense he had been showing before melted away, revealing the despair underneath.

"Tony!" He wailed, shoulders shaking as tears tumbled. "I- I didn't know what happened to you, everyone thinks you died! I-I was looking for so.. So long! What happened?! Why didn't you come back?!"

Tony held his friend close, feeling guilt emerge in his chest at the sight of Rhodey's sorrow. He tightened his hold as gently as possible, and whispered,"I'm sorry, platypus, I'm so sorry… But I can explain everything now. But you have to stay in bed, that thing ate up a lot of you, it'll take a while to fix it."

Rhodey nodded, but he did not try to move. He was terrified that if he were to let go of his best friend, he would disappear once more. Tony seemed to understand, because he did not try to get up. Instead, they simply held each other for a long while, relishing at the feeling of finally being beside each other again.

Finally, Tony slowly moved out of the embrace, hitting the pillows to fluff them, and then leaning Rhodey back on them. "Okay, before I explain, I am going to get you some food. You wait here, alright?" He said, and instantly Rhodey grew concerned again. "I promise, I'll be right back."

Tony quickly left the room, feeling guilty all over again, but his best friend needed to eat. He sighed, looking towards the hallway. He then noticed a familiar fluffy cat on the ground. _Wait.. I have an idea._

He wandered over, kneeling down next to her. "Hey, can you keep Rhodey company?" He asked,"I don't think it's a good idea for him to be alone after what he went through."

The tortoiseshell slowly blinked, and then tilted her head forward. "Of course I can," She meowed,"That human is skin and bones, I can make sure he becomes warmer for a while."

The cat raised her tail and trotted down the hall, soon vanishing through the doorway. Tony smiled thankfully, before heading back into the kitchen.

Within the kitchen was Castiel, who lifted his head at the sight of Tony. "He's awake?" He asked quickly. Tony nodded in return, moving to open the fridge.

Castiel looked like he wanted to say something else, but Tony was too busy muttering to himself to notice, frantic brown eyes glancing all over the room.

"Fruit.. But he needs something better than that. He's starving!" Tony was nervously whispering. His emotions and lack of concentration sent his magic flowing out.

Tony did not seem go notice, still nervously pacing. "Rice? But that takes an hour! He needs more than that!" He exclaimed.

Hands suddenly grabbed his shoulder, eliciting a cry of surprise from the druid. "Tony! You need to calm down," Castiel's gravel voice ordered,"Your magic is reacting."

 _Reacting?_ Tony thought in confusion, turning his head to look at the kitchen. To his surprise, many of the items, ranging from fruits to a few pots and pans, in the room were floating in the air. His chocolate eyes widened in surprise, cheeks heating up in shame.

The druid sighed, lowering his shoulders with a sigh. As he began to calm down, things slowly began to lower back down to where they were before. "I'm sorry, Cas," He softly said,"I'm just worried about Rhodey. I just want to make sure he's okay."

"If you panic, so will he," Castiel pointed out,"And so will your magic. Believe me, strong emotions and magic doesn't mix well."

Tony almost laughed. _Oh, Cas. I could tell you some stories._ He thought in amusement, but he was still thankful for the advice. He was still trying to learn how to control his powers, and having someone around who could help was a big relief.

"You're right, Cas. Thank you," Tony replied, giving a slight smile. The angel returned his expression, before walking over to the fridge. He pulled out a medium sized tupperware and handed it to the genius.

Tony looked in it, noticing it was leftover spaghetti and meatballs. "It's Deans, but he'll live," Castiel said.

The druid snorted, beginning to put the food into the microwave. "Are you sure _we_ will when he comes back?" Tony questioned.

Castiel's eyes widened in terror, blue eyes flickering over to the now rotating plate of spaghetti in the microwave. He turned back to Tony, and quickly whispered,"How strong are your shields again?"

* * *

Rhodey was shaking with fear the entire time Tony was away, but focusing on his environment was difficult with all the confusion flowing through him. I _don't understand… Where am I? Why does Tony look like a teenager? Why does he look perfectly fine?! If he was alright… Why didn't he say anything? Why didn't he come home?!_

He looked around the room, taking in the brick walls and hardwood floors, along with the very simple furniture. There was a desk and bookshelf, but they were both empty. They weren't dusty, however. In fact, it looked as if someone had hastily cleared them off.

His brown eyes turned to the cat now nuzzled against his side, raising his eyebrow. "Hey, kitty. Do you have any idea what Tony has been doing?" He questioned jokingly.

If he didn't know any better, he would have said that the cat rolled her eyes at him. He sent an incredulous look towards the feline, before the sound of footsteps jerked him out of his thoughts.

Through the open doorway came his suddenly young friend, holding a plate of what looked like it was steaming and a glass of water. Rhodey's shoulders slumped in relief, and Tony returned the gesture with a gentle grin.

He slid back into the chair next to Rhodey, and placed the plate on the man's lap. "I'm pretty sure you're fucking starving," Tony simply declared.

Rhodey practically drooled at the sight of the noodle covered with the red sauce, the four meatballs on the plate seeming to complete the dish. He didn't even respond, he merely grabbed the fork and began scarfing down the spaghetti with a fervor.

"Be careful!" Tony warned,"We don't want you to get sick."

The colonel slowed his movement, curiosity now overcoming his hunger. "We?"He questioned the teen. Tony's eyes widened a fraction, as he nervously looked around for several seconds.

"W-well… Me and the people who saved me have live here. They were with me when we went hunting and found you," He explained, seemingly very interested in his thumbs.

"You? Hunting?" Rhodey teased.

"It's a different kind of hunting, platypus" The genius retorted, seemingly insulted.

Once again Rhodey's face scrunched up in confusion. He didn't focus on it, however, as his hunger was making itself known again. He gobbled up the last of his spaghetti, and placed the plate down with a happy sigh. It felt as if he hadn't eaten weeks, he was glad that feeling was gone.

He then looked over at his friend again, who looked rather nervous. "I.. I suppose you have questions?" The genius asked. Rhodey wanted to scoff. _What kind of question is that?!_

"Uh... Yeah!? I have lots of fucking questions, Tony!" He exclaimed,"What happened to you?! Why do you look like that? Where are we?! Why didn't you come home?!"

Tony began to look very uncomfortable. "W-well… It's hard to explain, Rhodey. It isn't exactly as simple as a suit made out of gold titanium alloy," He muttered softly.

Rhodey snorted, gaining a bit of amusement in his tone as he declared," _Nothing_ is simple with you, Tony."

The genius laughed in return, his eyes seeming to glow. No, seriously. Rhodey was pretty sure they were glowing. But he shook it off, more focus on on what the hell had happened to the both of them.

"I.." Tony awkwardly began,"I was kidnapped off the compound the day we were supposed to meet with Ross. They tortured me. I-I wasn't the only one, either… But I was the only one who survived. Then, Dean and Sam killed my captors and rescued me. I've been here ever since."

Rhodey turned his brown eyes towards his friend's wrists. "Is that why you're younger? And why you have those have those markings?" He asked.

Tony's eyes widened, and he quickly pulled his sleeves up with a blush of shame covering his cheeks. "Yeah," He simply answered, his eyes seeming to glow a color for a moment before it faded away.

I've seen it twice now… Now I know I'm not seeing things. Rhodey thought with narrowed eyes. Tony noticed his suspicious, and shuffled hesitantly in his chair. Even more suspicous, Rhodey decided to ask. "Why didn't you come back?"

Tony whipped back around to face him, looking surpised by the question. He stood up, moving a little farther away from the bed. "I couldn't." He firmly said.

"Why not?!" Rhodey snapped back,"Was it because you look like this? Tony, you know the press doesn't matter. The others and I wouldn't care what happened to you-"

"That's not it!" Tony snapped.

"Then what?!"

Tony opened his mouth to yell back, but then he heard the sound of the bunker opening. All the anxiety within him expanded to astronomical size, and he quickly said,"oh! T-that must be Sam and Dean! I'll be back!"

He dashed out of the room, running all the way back to the front of the bunker. When he saw the two men walk in, he excitedly said,"Sam! Dean! You're back!"

"Yep!" Dean said happily, making sure to ruffle the Druid's hair.

"We would have been back sooner if SOMEONE hadn't wanted to stop at every new restaurant we saw!" Sam declared, pointedly looking towards the shorter male.

Dean rolled his eyes, and replied,"Oh come on, only five of the stops were my fault. You didn't let me on the way there, so I had to it on the way back!"

"We had a hunt to finish first!" Sam argued, before turning towards Tony. "Besides, if we hadn't gotten there when we did, we wouldn't have been able to save Tony's friend."

Tony's thankful smile instantly melted into a cringeful grimace. "Ah… Yeah, about that," He began, lowering his voice and moving closer. "Could we not tell him about you being hunters or me being a druid yet? I would rather he get better before throwing all this new shit on him."

Sam's eyes were filled with understanding. "Don't worry Tony, you have our word," He replied,"It's probably for the best, anyways. I'd rather not have him go into shock."

Dean nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we've seen how people react when all this is suddenly shoved on them. Trust me, it isn't pretty. It's like accidentally opening a 70s Playboy magazine," He stated, heading for the kitchen to most likely purge the fridge of any edible food.

Sam scoffed, instantly knowing what was happening to their poor fridge. But, his face lit up, and he turned towards Tony. "Oh! Look what I got!" He exclaimed, pulling out a test vial that contained some slime from the creatures they killed earlier in the week.

"Whoa!" Tony exclaimed, eyes glowing a bright yellow. "How did you manage that?" He questioned.

Sam shrugged. "They weren't moving anymore. My theory is that it's a lot harder for them to reform when their parts are completely scattered," He answered,"Maybe we can study it!"

Tony jumped to his full height. "Yes! That would be awesome! Imagine what we may discover about them!" He chattered excitedly.

"Where the _FUCK_ is my spaghetti?!" Dean's voice echoed through the bunker, causing Tony's chatter to come to a halt.

The druid quickly pointed finger guns towards Sam. "And on that note, I must run for my life!" The druid frantically exclaimed, before dashing back down the hall as fast as his enhanced body could take him.

Tony slowed to a stop just outside Rhodey's room, and leaned against the wall. When he poked his head around the corner, he noticed that Rhodey was slumped over with his eyes closed. The sheet had fallen down a bit, one scrawny arm was hanging over the and the empty plate was now resting on his chest.

After their spat a few moments ago, Tony was instantly suspicious. He wandered in the room, and looked toward his cat. "Asleep?" He asked as quiet as possible. The cat gave him a slow blink, before nodding her head.

Tony sighed in relief, and quickly moved to take his seat once more. He lifted a pale hand, and it began to glow with a green light. He then tool Rhodey's hand in his own, sending the healing aura throughout the man's body.

"Don't worry, Rhodey," He whispered,"You'll be better in no time. And then… Then I can tell you."

In the meantime, he would just continue to heal his friend's muscles and help him grow strong faster. Maybe feeling better would make Rhodey calm down.

* * *

Rhodey was ready to strangle someone.

Two weeks into his stay in the strange house, and he still was none the wiser to anything that was happening. Tony was hiding something, and so were the other three. Hell, maybe even the cat was hiding something!

After waking up, he had been introduced to Cas, Dean, and Sam. Cas was a strange fellow, who reminded him of Vision with his blank and blunt responses. Sam and Dean were interesting. Their personalities were what Rhodey imagined Tony would be like if his mind was split into two different people.

Dean was a jokester, and he and Tony would always be going back and forth with each other, it was almost like they were brothers. (Not that Rhodey was jealous or anything…).

Sam was really nice, he even made a meal plan for Rhodey to recover faster. It helped, but Rhodey found that he was still recovering extremely fast… Too fast.

He knew it had to do with Tony, but the damn genius still wasn't fessing up. He just continued to fuss over Rhodey and his injuries. But, after two weeks he was finally able to walk again, and damn did it feel good.

The strangest thing, however, was that he didn't need his leg braces anymore. It was as if his legs were brand new… But whenever he brought it up with Tony, the teen avoided the question. Rhodey decided not to worry about the issue anymore, and just be happy he had the ability to walk anymore.

Tony led him out of his room for the first time after those two weeks, and into the bunker. Rhodey examined every detail with curiosity, the hardwood floors, quartz walls, and the numerous bookshelves. "What exactly is this place?" He asked.

"The Men of Letters Bunker," Tony explained,"It's where we live. It's the safest place for our kind, safe from everything, built in 1935-"

"Wait, wait, our kind?" Rhodey questioned.

Tony's smirk fell, and he shuffled nervously. "U-uh, just people like Sam, Dean, Cas, and me. People who have been hurt, and other stuff."

Rhodey narrowed his eyes, still frustrated with the fact that Tony was obviously hiding something. But, he set it aside. Tony knew he was suspicious, and pushing the matter wasn't going to make the teen fess up.

Clapping his hands together, he looked at his friend. "So, what else does this place have to offer?" He asked.

Tony jumped up in excitement, and began leading his best friend through the bunker. The left the library, and Tony took him to the war room, the firing range, where the bedrooms are, the garage, and the Dean-cave. Rhodey wasn't blind to the fact there were some rooms that his best friend pointedly avoided.

They stopped in the kitchen this time, where Tony tossed his friend an apple. Rhodey caught it, thankful his reflexes were back, and then bit into it. As he chewed, he built up a plan in his head.

"So, is this bunker underground?" He asked curiously, leaning forward on the table. Tony smiled, picking up the cat that had been wandering by them.

"Yeah it is, there's an old power plant that is above it to throw people off. Only a few people know where the entrances are," Tony explained.

A plan formulated perfectly in his mind. "An old power plant?" He asked excitedly,"That sounds awesome! We should go up and look at it!"

Tony's eyebrows furrowed, and the cat stopped cleaning her paw for a moment. "W-well, I really dunno, Rhodey," He muttered,"You're still recovering-"

"-And fresh air would do a lot for my health, right?" He interrupted, feeling a little guilty for doing so but desperate to get Tony alone.

The teen seemed to consider his idea, staring down at his own apple for a moment before shrugging his shoulders. "Sure, why not?' He said, hopping off the stool. Just as Rhodey went to follow, Tony quickly added,"But we can't go too far! Sam and Dean will worry."

Rhodey nodded, secretly feeling a frustrating jealousy at the mention of those two. They were very kind to him, but the colonel knew that they had something to do with the reason Tony wouldn't return home. But, considering how close Tony was to them as well, he kept his mouth shut.

They climbed up the balcony, and went to the exit. Outside of the bunker was a gray, gloomy sky and trees that were empty of leaves, most of them now resting on the ground. Rhodey turned, looking towards the old power plant.

He thought the bunker was quite well hidden, considering that it was in the middle of nowhere. Rhodey himself probably would have passed over it a few times himself while searching for his friend.

 _That reminds me…._

Turning towards Tony, who was staring up at the sky silently, he demanded,"Tony. I want a straight answer. Why didn't you come back?"

He saw the calm, relaxed expression fade in an instant, becoming filled with frustration. "Is _that_ the reason you brought me out here?" Tony demanded,"So you could interrogate me again?!"

"W-well you won't tell me anything in front of them!" Rhodey snapped,"So I thought that maybe if I got you alone-"

"What the fuck is your problem?! They've been nothing but nice to you this whole time? Why are you suspicious of everything we do?!" Tony angrily snarled.

Rhodey threw his hands up into the air. "WELL, MY FUCKING BAD!" He sarcastically yelled,"I'm _so_ sorry that I'm not okay with my best friend vanishing and then deciding not to come home after finding these three weirdos and the fountain of youth. I'm sorry I'm not okay with you prancing around for no reason!"

"It's not like that!" Tony persisted.

"THEN WHAT?!" Rhodey snapped, making the younger man flinch backwards, hands going up to cover his ears. But, just before his hands made contact, Rhodey saw the teen freeze. His hands dropped into a cautious position, turning towards the trees nearby.

After a few seconds of silence, Tony suddenly whispered,"Rhodey, go inside."

The man whipped around in an instant. "What? No! We are NOT done talking yet!" He snapped loudly.

"Rhodey! If you know what's good for you, shut up!" Tony frantically whispered. The older man, still feeling enraged, opened his mouth to yell at the man once more. Tony quickly reacted, slapping his hand over the colonel's mouth and holding it there.

Before Rhodey could even think about fighting the hold, he saw exactly what Tony was looking at. Out of the trees wandered a human, looking creature that was on all fours. As it came out into the light, Rhodey cringed at the wormy skin it had. It was pale, with prominent veins and skin folds, and pitch black eyes.

"Rugaru…" Tony whispered fearfully. The colonel had no idea what a rugaru was, but he kept his wide eyes on the monster in front of him. It growled at Tony the moment he spoke,and then began to sniff the air. It stopped, wide eyes turning toward Rhodey.

It flew forward, so fast Rhodey could barely see it. "No!" Tony yelled, pushing the colonel behind him and throwing up his hands. Tony's hands lit up with blue, a dome-like shield suddenly surrounded the two of them. The Rugaru smashed into it with an angry screech, scratching at it with animalistic vigor.

Tony's shield suddenly vanished, making the monster falter and nearly fall over. In that instantly, Tony rammed his shoulder into it's chest, sending both of them tumbling to the ground. The monster scratched at Tony with all its might, and reaching for Rhodey with one hand.

"Get Sam and Dean!" Tony yelled, making the frantic Rhodey jump from his thoughts. He nodded, and stumbled back into the bunker as fast as his newly healed legs could take him.

The Rugaru let out a monstrous roar at losing his prey, slamming it's hand into Tony's face. His strength sent the druid tumbling nearby.

It dashed towards Rhodey, who was just opening the door. Tony quickly raised a forcefield in front of it, causing it to smack against it once more. Then, the brunette ran forward, pinning it to the ground.

It fought, struggling against Tony once more, but a hot resolve was flowing through the druid. He felt hatred, and a fury towards the monster. "I just got Rhodey back, I'm not going to lose him again!" Tony yelled, and the burning that had been surrounding his heart suddenly reached his hands.

His hands burst into flames, the Rugara instantly let out a horrified scream as his body started to burn, thrashing even more violently under Tony's hold. Tony didn't let up, allowing his hatred to fill his whole body.

Just as his brothers and best friend ran out with their weapons, Tony's flames completely engulfed the man's body. The druid stumbled to his feet, watching the monster's screeching until the body was nothing but a pile of ash.

Nobody spoke for several seconds, the only sound was their frantic breathing. Rhodey looked at the three others, then back at the monster's ashes. "What.." He panted,"What happened? What was that thing?!"

"A Rugaru," Sam told him. "They are humans that turn into monsters and feed on human flesh."

A sense of dread filled Tony as he realized exactly what had just happened. He had almost been killed… Again. Tony saved his life once more.

After he let this sink in, he pointed a shaky hand towards his friend. "B-but if it eats humans, why was it only chasing after me?" He worriedly asked.

"Because I'm not human anymore, Rhodey," Tony's nervous voice reached his ears. He turned his wide chocolate eyes towards his best friend, who pushed back his hair and lifted up his shirt.

Pointed ears, sharp teeth, a tail…

Rhodey decided in that instant that Tony was smart not to tell him about this revelation earlier, because the next thing that happened was Rhodey''s eyes rolled back into his head, and he fell over in a dead faint.


End file.
